Unconditional
by Mystwalker
Summary: Three years after the Oracion Seis incident, Jellal's sentence is finally revealed. Jellal Fernandes, welcome to Fairy Tail. Erza x Jellal
1. Prologue

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **Here we go again. I really should finish old stories before starting new ones. *sigh*. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this! Quick note, this is set a few years after the events of Fairy Tail. Also, I haven't quite finished the Oracion Seis arc, so it's highly possible that I could be completely messing up the story. Please forgive me. I'll do my best to keep things accurate without spoiling it for myself too much.

XxXxX

**PROLOGUE**

The lights in the room were bright, almost blinding after the darkness of his cell. It wasn't the first time he had been in here, but it had been the first in several months. The matter of his trial and sentencing had been postponed time and time again, largely, he suspected, due to the intervention of Makarov and the rest of Fairy Tail. He never understood why they would do this for him, someone like him that had killed and hurt countless other people in the past. For himself, he was getting tired of waiting. He knew where this was going, and he was ready to die.

It was, after all, only what he deserved.

So when, after three years of waiting, he heard the verdict, his first thought was that he hadn't heard right. He had been expecting execution, or at least life imprisonment. He had not been expecting this.

"Excuse me?"

It was the first thing he had said since they brought him out of his cell, and his voice sounded rough to his own ears. He had spoken quietly, but even so, the councilman reading his verdict fell silent, narrowing his eyes and glaring at him. "Did you not hear me correctly?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I didn't," said Jellal. "Did I just hear you say I was to receive conditional release?"

"Yes," said the councilman. The word sounded strained, as if it hurt him to say it. Jellal's eyes widened as the councilman went on. "After numerous petitions in your behalf by certain high ranked wizards that prefer to remain unnamed—," Jellal had some idea who _those _must be. "—we have determined that there is sufficient doubt that you were in control of your actions with regards to the Tower of Heaven incident. However, should you violate the terms of your release, you will be arrested and executed. Do you understand?"

He nodded, feeling numb. Why would they do this for him? Why would _she _do this for him…?

"Very well," said the councilman, with all the air of somebody going through the legal motions while wishing he could be doing something else. "I will now read to you the terms of your release. Should you wish to review them, a copy will be given to you before you leave. First, ecause Fairy Tail is largely responsible for this verdict, you will be released into their custody. You are free to move about the city of Magnolia as you wish, however, you must not leave the city, whose boundaries are detailed in the copy of the document that will be given to you, without being accompanied by a Fairy Tail wizard of S-Class rank. Do you understand?"

He nodded again. Magnolia was no small city. Even though he would still be confined within its boundaries, it was more than he had expected.

"Second, outside the city's boundaries, you are to remain in the same building as your escort when inside, and when outside, you are to remain in sight. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"Third, you are forbidden to use any magic without the permission of Makarov Dreyar or an S-class wizard to which he grants that authority, except in the case of magical vehicles or other devices that run on magical power. If you are given permission, Fairy Tail will be held responsible for your actions while using magic. Do you understand?"

Another nod. He wondered if Fairy Tail understood what they had gotten themselves into. Anything he did would reflect on them now. His fists clenched. Better that they had just left him to die.

"Lastly, you are subject to the authority of Makarov Dreyar, and are to obey any extra instructions not contrary to these conditions. Do you understand all of these?"

He nodded for the last time. When nobody moved, he realized they were expecting a verbal response and cleared his throat. "I understand."

The councilman nodded, rolling up the scroll he was reading from and putting it away. "You will be returned to your cell. In 24 hours, you will be collected and transported to Magnolia." He raised the gavel and slammed it down hard, the sharp crack echoing throughout the small chamber. In an instant, guards were at his sides again, their hands on his arms. He turned, allowing himself to be led away.

Fairy Tail.

Erza.

He would be seeing them soon, he realized. And despite everything that had happened, he wasn't sure he was looking forward to the encounter.

XxXxX

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	2. Fairy Tail

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **Regarding a few personalities (you'll see what I mean as you read this), keep in mind that three years have passed, and some things may have changed (such as certain characters' relationships…), causing certain characters (yes, I'm being deliberately vague) to react in different ways. I am aware of this, and I'm sorry if it doesn't work out.

Also, thank you so much for all your reviews. I love reading them, and all those reviews made me get this chapter up ASAP!

**Special Responses: **

**wolfteam000 – **Haha, actually, I've had this name since I was 12. I thought it was cool back then. I was a little embarrassed about it after a while, but now that I've started watching Fairy Tail, I've decided to keep it. That's an awesome coincidence.

**DoomKnight1of24 – **Yeah, I don't particularly like doing angst too much, although this story will have a little bit of drama in it, simply because…well, it's Erza x Jellal, it would be weird if it _didn't _have some drama.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 1: FAIRY TAIL**

The Rune Knights dropped him off in front of the Fairy Tail building, deposited the small bag of personal belongings he had been allotted on the ground beside him, cut his chains and left, turning around and not looking back as if they released traitorous former council members all the time. Jellal watched them go, rubbing at his wrists. After so long in prison, the sunlight seemed too bright, and felt too warm against his exposed skin. His childhood—the parts of it that he could remember—had not been particularly sunny either, so he was used to it. He was dressed in the same coat he had been arrested in. It seemed a little looser now than it had been back then. He supposed he had lost weight in prison.

He paused in front of the door, staring at it. He knew what it looked like in the past from the memories he had recovered, but he had never seen it after it was rebuilt. It was bigger than before, and somehow it seemed more imposing. Perhaps it was because he had no idea what waited for him on the other side. He bent down, picking up the small bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Jellal placed his hand on one of the guildhall's double doors, taking a deep breath. On the count of three, he would open it.

One…

Two…

The door to his left suddenly swung open, a blur of pink and red flying through it and landing with a crash on the street outside. Jellal blinked, his eyes widening and his hand freezing in the air. He twitched, his fingers curling inward slightly as he turned his head. Natsu Dragneel picked himself up out of the small crater he had made in the street, jumping to his feet with flames curling around him.

"OI, YOU DROOPY-EYED BASTARD! THAT WAS A DIRTY MOVE! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" he yelled, shaking his fist at the door as fire spewed from his mouth. The Dragon Slayer blinked, noticing Jellal. He turned towards him, the flames dying down as he met his eyes. They stood there for a brief moment.

Then Natsu surprised him. He grinned.

"Yo!" said Natsu. "Glad ya made it!"

"He…hello," said Jellal with a small, awkward nod.

"_Ice Make Lance!" _

Several streams of ice suddenly flew out of the open door, one of them passing half an inch from Jellal's face. They came together in the air, converging on Natsu's location. "Ah, crap!" shouted the Dragon Slayer, jumping back. The lances slammed into the ground, just a few feet from where Natsu had previously been.

Gray ran out of the open door, mists still curling around his hands. The Ice Mage was dressed for once, and dressed to impress it looked like, except the edges of his coat were singed. Natsu landed on the ground smoothly, flames coating his arms from palm to elbow.

"You punk! I'll get you back for that!"

"Heh! Come and try, you squinty-eyed loser!"

Gray ran past him, not even noticing he was there, and ran down the steps towards Natsu. Behind him followed the blue-haired water woman—Juvia, he vaguely remembered—one hand curled across her chest as she stared at the two dueling wizards. Natsu and Gray fought on, neither of them noticing they had an audience.

"Gray-sama…" she began.

No response. The two of them continued to roll around like puppies in a kennel. If puppies could breathe fire. And shoot ice out of their hands. Steam filled the air.

"Gray-sama!" called Juvia, more insistently.

The two of them fought on, completely ignoring her.

"_GRAY!" _

Water suddenly shot out from Juvia, imprisoning the two dueling wizards in a dome. Both of them stopped and turned, looking up at her with wide eyes. Both blinked at the same time. They were both grabbing at each other's shoulders, pushing each other's faces with their free hand. Juvia stomped over to the Water Lock and reached in, pulling Gray out of it by his collar. She dragged him out and down the street.

"Juvia has been planning this outing for weeks, and Gray is not going to ruin this by fighting with Natsu-kun…" she scolded as she dragged the Ice Mage down the street. Watching her go, Jellal couldn't help but wince in sympathy for Gray, even though that seemed a little different from how he remembered. As he watched, the Water Lock dispersed, and Natsu floated over to the foot of the steps, his eyes swirling slightly.

"Juvia's gotten a lot more confident since she and Gray started dating," said a voice from beside him. He turned his head again, recognizing the blond Stellar Spirit Mage, Lucy Heartfilia. "It's almost funny when you consider it." She smiled, turning towards him. "Okaeri," she said.

Jellal's eyes widened slightly. Okaeri. Welcome back…or welcome home. He recovered quickly.

"Aa…" he said, nodding his head. "Thank you."

"How have you been?" asked Lucy.

"Fine." He decided that 'fine' sounded better than 'I've been in a maximum security prison for three years. How do you think?'.

Lucy nodded. "You're probably tired, but Master said he wanted to talk to you when you got here. He's inside." She turned towards Natsu and frowned, placing her hands on her waist. "Oi! Natsu! Stop lying around and get up! You're embarrassing yourself in front of Jellal!"

Natsu's eyes snapped open and he suddenly jumped to his feet, seemingly unaffected. "Oh, yeah!" he said, a grin spreading over his face. "Man, Erza's gonna be in for a surprise when she gets back from that job!"

That made him turn towards Natsu suddenly. "Erza's not here?" he asked.

Natsu shook his head. "We kept it a surprise that you were getting released, so she doesn't know anything yet. She left on a job yesterday morning, after Gramps got the verdict." He wore an expression on his face that made him look like the cat that had swallowed a particularly juicy canary. "This is gonna be great!"

He had his doubts about that. He wasn't sure whether or not to feel relieved that Erza wasn't yet here. On one hand, he wanted to see her. On the other, he had been dreading that meeting. "She doesn't know I'm coming…" he repeated.

"Nope, no clue!" said Natsu, cheerfully. He turned, slapping Jellal on the back. "Well, come on! Let's get inside so you can talk to Gramps!"

Natsu shoved him none-too-lightly through the door, and Jellal half-stumbled through, looking up to see several guild members watching the scene. He barely recognized some of them, although a few of them—the more famous ones—triggered memories of the time he had spent building the Tower of Heaven. Demon Mirajane, Kurogane Gajeel, the three members of the Raijin Tribe…But there were more, quite a few more that he did not know.

And every eye in the guild was on him.

"Yo, everyone!" said Natsu, slinging an arm around his shoulder suddenly and leaning forward. "This is Jellal, the guy the Master's been talking about. He's gonna stick around for a while, alright?"

There was a slight pause, and then the guild's silence was broken by a handful of chuckles. "Don't scare him, Natsu. He hasn't even gotten through the door yet!" commented an older blue-haired man in a white coat as his companion, a man in a green shirt smoking a pipe, grinned.

"Yeah, Natsu, let go of him. He looks creeped out," commented another guild member.

"That's probably 'cause you smell, flame-brain," said Gajeel from one of the tables, tilting his head towards him.

"Why, you—!" began Natsu, angrily stomping over to Gajeel. Unfortunately for Jellal, he didn't release his head. Jellal found himself being clamped to Natsu's side with the Dragon Slayer's arm across his neck, cutting off his supply of air.

"Natsu, stop it!" yelled Lucy. "You'll break his neck!"

Natsu blinked, halfway to Gajeel. He looked down at Jellal. "Sorry about that," he said, releasing him before charging straight at the other Dragon Slayer. The two of them began to fight, smashing tables and anything else that happened to be on their way. Jellal had fallen to his knees after Natsu released him, and was now picking himself up, one hand on the floor.

A pair of hands wrapped around his other arm, helping him to his feet. He turned his head and looked straight into a pair of brown eyes. A young girl with dark blue hair was helping him up, a small smile on her face. He recognized her from the Oracion Seis incident—the young Sky Dragon Slayer.

Wendy Marvel.

She was taller now, and looked a little more grown up than he had remembered, but then again, she would already be 15.

"Are you alright?" she asked, stepping back.

"I'm fine," he said, watching Gajeel and Natsu go at it. "Is it always like this around here?"

"On most days," said Wendy.

He nodded, and for the first time, stopped wondering about what Fairy Tail had gotten themselves into by having him released to them and started to wonder what _he _had gotten himself into. The girl stepped back to allow him to pass and he did, walking up to the front of the bar, where a young woman was drinking from a mug of alcohol, eyeing him distrustfully as she flipped over a tarot card. He ignored her, focusing instead on the small old man sitting there, and at the white-haired woman behind him. Mirajane gave him a small smile, then turned to continue her conversation with a member of the Raijin Tribe—Freed.

"Master Makarov," said Jellal, nodding his head respectfully.

Makarov cracked an eye open, studying him. "Made it here alright?" he asked.

"Mm," said Jellal, nodding.

"They didn't rough you up on the way?"

"Not at all." In fact, it had been quite the opposite. The Rune Knights had been almost afraid to touch it. He only remembered bits and pieces of his past, but whatever he had done must have been horrific indeed, if even the council's trained guards were afraid of him. Makarov nodded and closed his eyes again, as if satisfied. He paused for a moment, then opened his eyes.

"Erza believed you weren't in control when you hurt her back then," he said. "Natsu and the others thought the same thing. I believed them. But now I want to hear it from you. Did you knowingly and willingly do those things to Erza and her friends?"

Jellal took a deep breath. He had been expecting something like this. "My memories from back then are…incomplete," he finally said. "I can't tell you for certain that I didn't do those things on purpose—that I was completely under Zeref's control. I know that's what you want to hear, but I don't know the answer to that. But I can tell you this. Whether or not I did those things myself…I will never do them again."

Makarov stared at him for a few long moments. Jellal stared back, wishing that he had a better answer. He had spent three years trying to answer that, if nothing else. He had searched his memories, trying to find one shred of evidence, one single scrap of proof, that would either tell him that he had been acting on his own or that he had been completely under Zeref's control, but he had found nothing. He knew which story Erza and the others believed. He knew which one he _wanted _to believe. But without knowing, there was no way to be sure.

The master of Fairy Tail watched him, and he knew that his fate hinged on these moments. If Makarov said one word, the council could take him back and have him executed. They would be happy too, in fact. Jellal knew that much.

Makarov sighed and closed his eyes, then nodded, pushing off the bar top and landing on the ground. "Mirajane," he said, extending his hand to her before turning around and walking away.

"Of course," said Mirajane, looking up with a smile. She walked over to him, clasping her hands behind her back. "Where would you like it?" she asked.

Jellal blinked at her. "Excuse me…?" he asked.

She reached under the counter, pulling out a small stamp. Mirajane turned it over, revealing the Fairy Tail symbol on the other side. Jellal stared at it, understanding dawning on him. She couldn't possibly mean…

"I'm not joining the guild," he said. "I'm being released into its custody. There's a difference."

"Is there really?" asked Mirajane with a smile. "It seems to me that since you'll be hanging around the guild anyway, and since you can't leave Magnolia without us, that you might as well join. You'll need the money to support yourself, won't you? This way, you'll be able to take on jobs."

"You don't want someone like me in this guild," said Jellal. "Not after what I did."

"But you said it yourself," said Mirajane. "You won't do it again."

He didn't say anything, looking away. Mirajane held the stamp in her hand out to him, a silent temptation. "You've spent too much time on your own, Jellal," she said. "Do you really want to do this alone as well? Living alone in Magnolia…without friends, without magic…what kind of freedom is that?"

Freedom.

"_There is no freedom in this world…" _

The words sounded alien to him, even if they were coming from his own mouth. He could still see it, young Erza's frightened face, tears streaming out of her only eye. His fists clenched. Despite all of that, despite what he had done…Was he horribly selfish? He didn't want that. What Mirajane was describing…a life alone, a fake freedom…he didn't want it.

With a soft rustle, his coat fell to the ground, revealing the sleeveless blue shirt he wore underneath it. He turned to the side, so that his right arm was facing Mirajane. She smiled and leaned over the bar at him.

"What color?" she asked.

The answer came instantly. He didn't even need to think about it. The moment she spoke of colors, he saw it in his mind.

Hair. Vibrant scarlet hair…

"Red."

The stamp touched the skin of his upper arm and began to glow. He could feel the magic working on him, imprinting itself into his skin. Mirajane pulled away, and he looked down, craning his neck to see the red Fairy Tail symbol. It looked odd against his skin, and yet, strangely, it didn't feel that way. She smiled at him, and he managed a tentative smile back.

He didn't even realize he had an audience until the rest of the guild started to cheer.

XxXxX

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	3. Erza

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **The second scene is a little chaotic, but I was trying to capture the Fairy Tail atmosphere. Hope it works. If it helps, find your BGM of choice to listen to with it, and just imagine the dialogue.

Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm really glad you guys like this story!

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 2: ERZA**

A small blue cat sped through the streets of Magnolia, wings outstretched as he raced through the air, pushing banners, signposts, and even people aside in his wake. Happy put on an extra burst of speed as the bystanders shouted at him, a look of intense concentration on his face.

_Gotta hurry, gotta hurry…_he thought to himself.

He had to get back to the guild _now, _or things were going to be really bad!

XxXxX

Jellal sat at one of the guild's tables, his head propped up in one hand as his free hand twirled the black chess piece around, considering where to place it. It had been two days since his release, and there was nothing much for him to do but wait for Erza to get back. He placed the piece down on one of the squares, nodding as he looked up.

"Your turn," he said.

"Yosh!" said Natsu, picking up the white king. "My king eats this, and this, and this, and THIS!" He moved the king around the board, knocking over four of Jellal's pieces. Jellal frowned.

"Natsu, the king can't move like that," he said.

"Well, he's the king isn't he?" asked Natsu. "He can do whatever he wants!" He held the piece up in the air, shaking it back and forth. "Now that he's eaten, he's ALL FIRED UP! ROOOAR!"

Jellal sighed, pressing his face into his palm and shaking his head. "You're making up the rules to your own game…" he muttered.

"Of course!" said Natsu, placing his foot on the table. "Because this is Fairy Tail!"

"EVERYONE! WATCH OUT!"

The doors swung open and Happy flew in, wings outstretched. Everyone in the guild looked up as the blue cat skidded to a stop, his wings disappearing as he landed on one of the tables. "We're in trouble!" he yelled. "Erza's here!"

Jellal's eyes widened as Natsu sat back, putting down the chess piece.

"Oh, Erza's here," he said, smiling. A beat, then his eyes snapped open. "Erza's here!" he shouted, jumping up in panic and looking at Jellal. Jellal rose to his feet quickly as the rest of the guild let out a shout, each one of them getting out of their seats.

"She's on the outskirts of the city!" said Happy. "We have to hide Jellal!"

"Quick, hide in here!" shouted Natsu, grabbing Jellal with two hands by the back of his coat and pushing him into a cupboard that was about half his size.

"Na-Natsu!" cried Jellal in protest, holding on to the sides of the cupboard with his hands and pushing back against the Dragon Slayer. "I can't fit in here!"

"How about I bury him in steel?" asked Gajeel, getting up and grinning as he took a deep breath.

"That won't be necessary!" yelled Lucy, Gray, and Levy all at once, turning around to face him.

"I've got it!" said Mirajane, slamming her fist into her palm. She grinned. "Transformation Magic!"

Light surrounded the S-Class mage, blocks of light landing on her skin and changing her facial features. "How's this?" asked Mirajane, as the light cleared, twirling around. She was now transformed into the perfect double for Jellal, except she was still wearing her pink dress. Jellal choked.

"How does that help exactly?" roared Natsu, flipping a table over.

"Freed, write some rules that say Erza can't get in!" said Gray.

"Great idea," said Freed, with a frown stepping forward and placing his hands on his waist. "Do we have six hours?"

A loud crashing sound, and the next thing Jellal knew, Freed was flying through a glass window and up into the sky.

"YOU'RE USELESS!"

"Aha! Got it!" said Lucy. She smiled confidently, pulling out one of her silver keys and holding it up. "Open! Gate of the Clock, Horologium!"

In a flash of light, Horologium appeared in the spot where Jellal had just been, with Jellal curled up inside it. The clock turned towards Lucy.

"I can still be seen—he says."

"We need to find a place to hide him!" shouted Mira-Jellal, raising his-her hand and pointing at the ceiling. Jellal's eyes widened and he leaned forward, pressing his palms against Horologium's glass as his mouth moved silently.

"Change back right now—he says," said Horologium.

"Oh, right!" said Mira-Jellal, disappearing back into the crowd.

"Let's give him a fish!" said Happy.

"That won't help!" argued Charle.

"Then let's let him give Erza a fish!" said Happy, grinning and turning towards Charle.

"…Idiot," said Charle, folding her arms and turning away. Happy sighed, scratching his head.

"…Well, fish always makes me feel better…"

A moment later, Jellal found himself standing in the corner with a piece of red cloth tied over his eyes. Gray stood over him, gesturing at him angrily.

"Whose stupid idea was _this_?" he asked.

Mirajane smiled at him for a few moments, her hand half-raised. Then she turned away suddenly, breaking into sobs. Gray's eyes widened.

"Oh, it was Mira-chan!"

"GRAY, A MAN DOES NOT MAKE HIS SISTER CRY!" shouted Elfman, pointing at Gray.

"She's _your _sister, not mine!"

"A MAN DOES NOT LET OTHER MEN MAKE HIS SISTER CRY!"

"How about I make him a doll?" asked Bixlow, leaning forward.

"Get off him, you creep!"

"Wanna go at it?"

"Gray, your clothes!"

"Everybody, dance!"

The guild descended into chaos. Jellal sighed, a drop of sweat forming on the back of his head as a table flew through the air.

XxXxX

Erza pushed the door open, revealing an oddly silent guild hall. She stared. The guild was in disrepair, with broken tables and splintered pieces of wood everywhere, but that wasn't even the strangest part about the scene in front of her. The strange part was that all of the guild's members were standing towards the front of the hall, watching her nervously. In the center of the group stood a man—that much was obvious—with…a lampshade…over his head?

She stared at the guild for a few moments, and the guild stared back.

"…We bought a new lamp!" yelled Natsu, breaking the silence and gesturing at the "lamp" eagerly, a grin on his face.

The rest of the guild fell silent, staring at him.

On the other side of the hall, Jellal sighed from underneath the lampshade.

"Natsu," he whispered, "I don't think it's working."

Natsu cupped his hand around his mouth and leaned in. "Sure it is!" he said. Loudly. Or at least loudly enough to carry easily in the silent and tense guildhall. Jellal winced.

"Natsu…covering your mouth with your hand doesn't make it quiet." Natsu paused for a moment as if considering this.

"No, I'm pretty sure it does!" he said, just as loudly.

"…What is going on?" asked Erza, interrupting the two of them.

Jellal sighed and took a deep breath. He supposed there was no use in keeping it a secret any more. He placed his hand on the lampshade and lifted it slowly, meeting her eyes. "Hello, Erza."

Erza's eyes widened, and she dropped the handle of the wagon that carried her luggage. She stared at him, her hands beginning to shake.

"Je…Jellal…"

The two of them stared at each other. Jellal had spent the past few days imagining his meeting with Erza, but he always thought he would have more to say. Now, his throat felt dry, and all the words he had come up with earlier trickled out of his head like water in a sieve. All he really could do was look at her. Three years hadn't changed her much. She was older now, but she was still the same Erza—the same person he had held on to even when his memories left him.

The same…

"SURPRISE!" shouted Natsu, jumping between the two of them and causing several of the guild's members to facefault.

XxXxX

A little while later, the two of them were seated at a table that had somehow been restored. Privately, Jellal thought that somebody in the guild must know Time Ark magic, considering how many things were broken and suddenly repaired on a daily basis. Erza sat across from him and took a bite out of a slice of strawberry cake Mirajane had set out for her, listening as he finished his story.

"I see," she said, her eyes closed. "So they kept your release a secret from me."

"That's right," said Jellal, nodding.

"So that's how it is…"

Erza slowly lowered the spoon from her mouth to the plate, placing it beside the slice of cake with a slow measured hand. She clenched her fists and stood up, her eyes still closed. Erza took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling once.

Then, she opened her eyes, turning around.

"NATSU!" she shouted. "GRAY!"

The two of them cringed and shrank away as Erza drew closer to them. She reached down, picking them both up by the collars and holding them to either side of her, one on each hand. The two of them flailed and thrashed around, trying to get away. "You two…" growled Erza, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Lucy helped t—!" began Happy from one of the tables. He was immediately cut off as Lucy let out a strangled cry, jumping on him and tackling him to the ground. The Stellar Spirit mage covered his mouth with her hand.

"He didn't say anything, Erza," said Lucy with a forced laugh as Erza turned her head to the side to glare at her. She tightened her hold on the struggling cat.

"Traitor!" said Natsu.

"Oi, Juvia! You were in on this too!" said Gray from Erza's other hand, pointing.

Juvia, who had been sneaking out the door, turned to face him, her dark blue eyes serious.

"Juvia has no idea what Gray is talking about…" she said in a monotone voice, her face expressionless.

"Juvia!" said Gray.

"Juvia is the rain woman."

"That's not fair!"

Juvia's eyes narrowed. "Shin-shin-to…" she said. At that moment, the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and Jellal could have sworn that the atmosphere around Juvia grew dark and he could hear a thunderclap. Gray sighed in resignation, hanging limply from Erza's arm as Juvia turned and left the guild quickly. Jellal smiled in amusement, leaning forward and taking a small bite out of Erza's strawberry cake.

Erza immediately whirled around, sending Natsu flying towards him. The pink-haired Dragon Slayer slammed straight into him, sending the both of them flying against the wall.

"DON'T TOUCH MY STRAWBERRY CAKE!" shouted Erza as Jellal slumped to the ground, a semi-conscious Natsu on top of him. Wendy, who was seated at one of the nearby tables, looked down at him and smiled.

"Now it's really like you're part of the guild," she said.

Jellal shoved Natsu off him as the Dragon Slayer decided now would be the perfect time to start drooling fire, rubbing the back of his head where he had hit the wall.

"Great…" he muttered.

XxXxX

It was a few more hours before Fairy Tail quieted down. She had meant to find Jellal and talk to him, but before she could, she was swept up in a sea of people asking her how her job went and welcoming her home. She caught sight of Jellal slipping out the back door about half an hour ago as Natsu asked her if she destroyed anything while out on her job. He had looked back at her, smiling slightly before closing the door behind him and walking out onto the street. It had taken her a little bit longer to wrap up her conversations, but eventually, she made her way to the back door, slipping out of it and into the night air. She hadn't even realized night had fallen since they first arrived.

Jellal was standing there, his back towards her and his face towards the body of water that stretched out behind the guild hall. A soft breeze blew through the air, blowing back his hair and the fabric of his coat. As she took a step forward, he turned his head towards her, smiling again and moving to the side to give her room. She accepted the invitation, walking over to stand next to him.

"It's finally quieted down a little," she said, her armor clanking as she stopped beside him. She took a deep breath, her body shimmering for a moment as she requipped, her armor getting replaced by the sleeveless white blouse and blue skirt that she wore underneath it. Jellal stared at her for a moment, then nodded, accepting the silent admission of trust.

"It's a lively place…" he said.

"Mm," said Erza, nodding. "You get used to it, though. It grows on you."

"I can see why…" said Jellal. He turned away from her, looking out at the water. Erza watched him, studying his face. She had noticed it on Nirvana, but it was even more apparent now. This wasn't the Jellal that had built the Tower of Heaven and hurt her friends. This was the person he was before that—the real Jellal Fernandes. He was alive, he was restored, he was safe.

And he was here.

Her shoulders slumped in relief, and she turned away. Just as she had never forgotten Wally, Sho, Miliana, and Simon after eight years of separation, she had never forgotten about Jellal. For three years, she had gone about the guild, laughing with her friends, going on jobs, fighting, working hard, and watching everybody grow and change around her, but in the back of her mind, she had always been thinking about Jellal. She had kept her eyes and ears open for any scrap of news—any sign that the council had finally come to a decision. She had tried to visit once, but had been turned away.

Now that she was no longer angry at Natsu and Gray for keeping this a secret from her, she could allow herself to feel relieved. To see him here felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"…You mentioned that your release was conditional?" she asked.

"Mm," said Jellal. "I can't leave Magnolia without an escort. I can't use magic unless Master Makarov or somebody he delegates that authority to gives me permission, and I can't stray too far from my escort if I leave Magnolia."

"Does this 'escort' need to be anyone in particular?" asked Erza.

Jellal turned towards her and smiled. "Well," he said, "She'd need to be an S-class Fairy Tail mage."

Erza tilted her head up slightly in challenge, smirking at him. "_She_?" she asked. "It sounds like you're thinking of somebody in particular."

"Yes," said Jellal, his smile becoming a little more sly. "Mirajane."

Erza froze for a moment, staring at him. A moment later, she twitched. Another moment later, she turned around, her fists clenching and her eyes narrowing as she requipped back into her armor and began stomping towards the guild hall.

Jellal chuckled, turning around and holding onto her arm to stop her before she took out a good chunk of the guild hall…and her former rival.

"Erza…" he said, as she looked at him. "I was joking, of course."

Erza blinked at him, straightening up. "You were?" she asked.

Jellal nodded, and Erza's face flushed for just one moment. The pink flush disappeared, and she shook her head, clearing her throat.

"I was…also joking," she said, her armor disappearing again as she came to stand next to him.

"I hope so," said Jellal, smiling. "Because otherwise, that means you think that I _would _want to be escorted out of Magnolia by someone other than you." Erza looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly. Jellal smiled and reached out, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Erza," he said. "Erza Scarlet. I still remember it."

He pulled his hand away, his fingers lightly tracing her hair before his hand fell to his side. Erza looked up at him, her face flushed. He turned away from her and slipped his hands into his pockets, looking out at the water. Erza watched him for a moment, before suddenly realizing something.

"Where are you staying?" she asked.

"…I had a little money saved up from the time I was pretending to be Siegrain," replied Jellal. "The council confiscated most of it, but they gave me enough to live on when they released me. I'm renting a small place in the city."

"I see…" said Erza. "You'll need money to pay the rent, though."

Jellal nodded. "I have enough to pay for this month and the next, but after that…well, I would need to be able to go on a job."

"I see," said Erza. She nodded. "I'll go with you, then. How much is your rent?"

"Not much," replied Jellal, folding his arms. "70,000 jewel."

Erza blinked at him. "What?" she asked.

"70,000 jewel," repeated Jellal. He frowned at her. "Is there something wrong?" he asked. "I thought it was a good deal."

Was it possible? Lucy had moved into Fairy Hills a year ago, and as far as she knew, nobody else had rented that house, but…

"Jellal, where is it?" she asked.

Jellal's brow furrowed. "Strawberry Street," he said. "Why?"

Erza couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, doubling over and hugging her sides. Jellal stared at her as if she had finally lost her mind. "What's so funny?" he asked. "I don't get it."

Erza shook her head and wiped a tear from her eye, still laughing as she straightened up. "Nothing," she said. "I know where you live. You might want to invest in a security system. There's at least three entrances to that house that you can go through without passing through the door."

She turned around and began walking towards the guild hall, still chuckling. This was just too funny. She had to tell Lucy about it before she left. Jellal whirled around to face her.

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Jellal.

"Erza!"

Erza laughed a little more, walking back towards the guild.


	4. The Life of a Fairy Tail Wizard

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **I'm writing this series in the style of the anime, which means there will be a few light-hearted chapters between a few more serious chapters (arcs) and so on and so on. So…this is the last light-hearted chapter for the introduction. Enjoy!

I'm really enjoying writing Natsu and Jellal's friendship, lol.

**Disclaimer (That I realized I forgot in the past few chapters, so it applies to those too, please don't take this down!): **I do not and will never own Fairy Tail.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 3: THE LIFE OF A FAIRY TAIL WIZARD**

The kingdom of Fiore. A neutral country of 17 million people. It is a world of magic. Magic is bought and sold there every—

"WE KNOW THIS ALREADY!" shouted Natsu, punching the narrator out of the screen.

"Natsu! Don't hurt the narrator!" cried Happy, flying after him and trying to restrain him.

Jellal sighed slightly from his seat at the bar, turning his head to watch their antics. A few seats away from him, Cana looked up, raising her hand. "Pay up," she said. The blue-haired mage frowned, reaching into his pocket and tossing a scattering of gold coins across the bar. If Natsu had just refrained from picking a fight for another ten minutes, he would have won. But no, he had to go break the fourth wall.

"This is why you don't make bets with a fortune teller," said Cana, pocketing the coins. "But in return, I'll read your fortune." She shuffled her cards, spreading them across the bar top. Jellal sighed and reached down to brush his fingers against his rapidly depleting coinpurse. If only the council had released the entirety of his funds to him, but they had kept most of the money as payment for damages incurred. He supposed he should have been grateful. In the same vein, they could have taken all his money.

"A little short?" asked Mirajane with a smile from the other side of the bar, leaning over on her arms.

"Getting there," said Jellal.

In the background, Natsu and Happy continued to roll around the guild's floor as Natsu grappled with an invisible entity.

"You should go on a job," said Mirajane. "You're strong enough to handle an S-class job, and if Erza goes with you, it'll be okay."

"I suppose," said Jellal. "If I'm allowed to use magic anyway…"

"I'm sure Master won't mind it if Erza goes with you," said Mirajane, smiling. "Find a job, and then I'll ask him."

"Mm," said Jellal, nodding. He leaned forward on his arms, turning his head to the other side, where Lucy was now trying to control Natsu, and Gray was yelling at him for breaking a table. For a moment, he almost thought he could see an armored figure seated at the table, smiling. But Erza wasn't in today, she was with the city planners at a hearing about damage to the Caldia Cathedral's stained glass windows that had apparently been the direct result of some idiot deciding he could mouth off to Levy in Gajeel's presence. Said idiot was now at the hospital, and couldn't be present at the hearing due to being unable to stand under his own power. But, since Fairy Tail had been both a benevolent and destructive presence in Magnolia since its founding, it was expected that all parties would get off with a light slap on the wrist and Makarov would receive some paperwork that would probably give him heart palpitations. Or so Freed explained it.

"I've finished the reading," said Cana, causing him to look up. She frowned at him seriously. "You'll have problems with knights and dragons."

"Oh, is that all?" asked Jellal, frowning slightly as he tilted his head slightly to the right, in time to dodge Natsu as he flew just over his shoulder and crashed into the back of the bar. He looked up at Cana, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," said Cana with a shrug. "I never said it would be a _useful _reading."

"By the way, Jellal, we're all wondering," began Mirajane, just as he lifted the glass beside him and took a sip. "…What's your relationship with Erza?"

Jellal choked.

He coughed and spluttered, spilling his drink on the bar top as he tried to put his mug down. When he finally recovered, he took in a gulp of air and looked up. "How-how do you mean?" he asked.

"Are you just friends? Are you _nakama_? Are you going out? Do you like her?" asked Mirajane. "That sort of thing."

"We—we're…" Jellal paused. He didn't actually know the answer to that question. He knew he cared a great deal for Erza, maybe even—if he could admit it to himself—loved her, but he didn't know the extent of Erza's feelings in return. Surely, they were more than ordinary friends, but was their bond familial or romantic? It was difficult to say. In the past, when they were both children, they _had _been a part of a sort of family, but now, eleven years down the line, after all the hurt and betrayal and death and redemption and battle and isolation…

"…I don't know," he admitted.

"Well, do you like her?" asked Mirajane, frowning. "You obviously care for her."

"I do," replied Jellal. "A lot. But I don't know…Too much has happened."

"Sounds like you and Erza need to sit down and talk this through," said Mirajane.

"Maybe…" said Jellal with a frown, tracing a circle on the tabletop. _That _would be an odd conversation. He wasn't particularly sure where to begin.

"He lllikes her," said Happy from behind him. Jellal tensed, turning around.

"Don't start!" he said.

"Anyway, you should go upstairs and look at the jobs," said Mirajane. "A nice job would be the perfect opportunity, ne?" She winked at him, placing her hands on his shoulders and shoving him off his stool none-too-lightly. Jellal landed on his feet, rubbing at his shoulder through his coat.

"Sure," he said, deciding that it was better than staying at the bar and getting dragged into another awkward conversation. He walked up the steps towards the special bulletin board that held the S-class jobs. Currently, there were only three jobs tacked onto the bulletin board. He frowned at them, looking them over. One of them, he immediately discounted. It was too close to Era, and heading anywhere near there at this time would just be adding fuel to the fire. The second had a disproportionately low reward for the risk they would be taking, and the third…

He reached towards the poster for the third job, his hand coming just an inch from it.

"Nee-san!" shouted Elfman, ripping the poster from the bulletin board. "I, a man, have found us a job!"

Jellal stared as Elfman ran past him with the piece of paper in his hand, the tips of his fingers twitching slightly as they closed on empty air. He sighed, his shoulders slumping.

XxXxX

Jellal walked up the steps to his house, feeling drained. He liked Fairy Tail, but being at the guild took a lot out of him, especially after three years of isolation. He found that while he liked being at the guild in the morning, by late afternoon, he was looking forward to getting home. He opened the door and flicked on the lights, walking through the small house and reveling in the peace and quiet. He tucked the book that Levy had lent him under his arm, closing the door behind him. Jellal hadn't yet amassed much furniture, but he found himself making a mental inventory as he walked towards the bedroom. Bookshelf, bookshelf, window, Natsu, bookshelf…

Natsu?

He walked backwards quickly, stopping in front of the space between the window and the last bookshelf. True enough, the pink-haired Dragon Slayer was there, standing up straight against the wall and looking straight ahead as if trying to blend in with the wallpaper—which…seeing as the wallpaper was no longer pink…was difficult.

"Natsu?" he asked.

"Yeah, Jellal?" asked Natsu.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for Lucy," said Natsu, grinning.

Jellal sighed. So much for his peace and quiet. "You know, Lucy moved out a year ago," he said.

"Really?" asked Natsu, scratching his head. "Huh. I just thought she was never home."

Jellal gave him a flat look. "You're…joking, right?" he asked.

"Sure," said Natsu, "Let's go with that." The Dragon Slayer walked into the bedroom as if he owned the place, settling down in one of the armchairs and pressing the soles of his feet together. Jellal followed him, his shoulders slumping in resignation as he kicked the door closed behind him.

"So, you live here now," said Natsu.

"Yeah," replied Jellal, slipping his coat off and hanging it up. He caught sight of the red Fairy Tail symbol on his arm as he did so. Usually, it was hidden, since he rarely removed the coat.

"Want me to move my weights?" asked Natsu.

Jellal blinked. "Your what?" he asked.

"My weights," said Natsu. He pointed at the closet. "Over there."

Jellal walked over to the closet and opened it, frowning. Sure enough, there were weights propped up in the corner. He decided against working out how he had never noticed those before—logic didn't seem to apply anywhere within Magnolia's boundaries. "You mean to tell me that you've been using this place as your own private gym for a year without paying rent?" he asked.

"Pretty much," said Natsu.

Jellal frowned and shut the closet doors, thinking this over. He walked over to the door.

"What's up?" asked Natsu.

"I'm trying to decide if you're crazy or brilliant," said Jellal, opening the door and walking into the kitchen. He opened the cupboard, digging around inside. "You want some tea?" he asked.

"Don't you have any real food?" asked Natsu, jumping off the chair and following him. He clasped his hands behind his neck, grinning at Jellal. Jellal frowned.

"I have…tea…" he said, slowly. "There's plenty of food at the guild, so I never really needed to have much."

"You need some steak," decided Natsu, nodding at Jellal as if he had just given him sage advice. "You should go out right now and buy some steak."

Jellal raised an eyebrow at Natsu as the Dragon Slayer started pushing him towards the door. "Do…you…want steak?" he asked.

"Oh, no," said Natsu, grinning. "_You _do. But while you're at it, buy two. I'll fire up the grill."

Jellal sighed as he found himself standing outside in the street again, slipping his coat back on. His peace and quiet was pretty much ruined for the night, but that wasn't the most upsetting thing. What really bothered him was that he found himself slowly starting to think that steak might not be such a bad idea.

The madness was clearly contagious.

XxXxX

Later that night, he was awakened by a stone bouncing against the window of his bedroom. Jellal tossed his blanket off of himself and got out of bed, opening the window. The second stone bounced off his forehead and he frowned, looking down. Erza stood in the street below, dressed in her usual armor. She raised her hand, waving him down.

He nodded at her, pulling away from the window and slipping on a shirt before stepping outside into the cool air. She was standing there, waiting for him.

"How was the hearing?" he asked.

"Levy offered to help regenerate the windows using Solid Script, and the city isn't pressing charges," said Erza, folding her arms. Jellal frowned at her.

"Did you _just _get back?" he asked.

Erza shook her head. "I've been out for a while now," she said. "On my way home, I stopped by the guild. I heard you were looking for a job today."

He nodded. "I was," he said. "What about it?"

"A new S-class job just came in," said Erza. "Mirajane saved it for you." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. Jellal unfolded it, revealing a job posting. He frowned, scanning it. Apparently, several magical artifacts had been stolen from a particular museum. A company was putting a rare artifact on display for a few days, and they needed guards. The job seemed simple enough. In the lower right-hand corner, Mirajane had scribbled "Good luck!", accompanied by a drawing of a…

A…

…Well, if he squinted, he thought it was a parakeet.

"If you want to take this job, we can leave in the morning," said Erza. "Master gave me permission to take you on a job and let you use magic." She frowned. "Also, a weasel?" she asked, pointing at Mirajane's drawing.

"We may never know," replied Jellal, folding the piece of paper up. He smiled at her. "Thank you, Erza." He thought back to the conversation he had had with Mirajane earlier. Good luck, indeed. Maybe they would be able to talk, since this would be one of the few times he and Erza could be on their own.

"We're going, then?" asked Erza.

Jellal nodded. "I'll meet you at the train station in the morning," he said.

"Alright," said Erza. "See you then."

"See you."

They exchanged a smile as he stepped back into the house and Erza walked around the corner.

XxXxX

A few hours later, the two of them were seated on the train, facing each other and sitting by the window. He propped his elbow up on the windowsill and rested his head on his hand, smiling. For the first time since his release, he was authorized to use magic, and it was hard not to cast a spell to see if he still could. He hadn't been able to use magic in prison, and he actually missed it. He could feel the magical power within him, and his mind was already cycling through his library of spells.

But there was no use in wasting magic. Besides, he was finally alone with Erza, and the train was already starting to move.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Erza. "It sounds simple, but it's still an S-class job."

"More than ready," replied Jellal. "I haven't had the chance to stretch in a while."

"Mm," said Erza, nodding. "A lot's happened, hasn't it…?"

"It has," said Jellal. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Erza, I've—," he began.

"Alright!" said Gray from beside them, causing Jellal to jump and Erza to look up. The Ice Mage was running over to them, dressed in a dark shirt, pants, and his usual white coat. "I told you this was the right train!"

"Is it really alright, though?" asked Lucy, following them.

"Juvia hasn't been on a job with Lucy-san and Erza-san in a while either," said Juvia, smiling as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"Ugh…transportation…" moaned Natsu, crawling along on the floor.

"Troia!" said Wendy, clapping her hands over Natsu's ears. She smiled, stepping back as a blue light surrounded him and Natsu rose.

"Thanks, Wendy-chan!" he said with a grin, ruffling her hair.

"Oh, Natsu's all better now!" said Happy.

"Wendy! Don't use your magic needlessly!" scolded Charle.

Jellal stared at them as they took their seats, spreading out and sitting beside him and Erza. "Why-why are all of you here?" he asked.

"We heard you were going on a job, and we decided to come along!" said Natsu, grinning. "After all, we're Fairy Tail's strongest team, right, Erza?"

Erza smiled. "That's right," she said.

"And we need to pay the rent," said Gray, folding his arms. He was already shirtless. "Lucy's rent, that is."

"Gray, your clothes!" said Lucy, causing Gray to jump.

"Juvia didn't want to be left behind," said Juvia, nodding.

"And Natsu-san said I could come along," said Wendy.

"This is an S-class job!" protested Jellal.

"Oh yeah?" asked Natsu. "Well, I'm an S-class mage!" He jabbed at his chest with his thumb, placing one foot on the bench and grinning. "You're the one that's not!"

"I was on the magic council!" said Jellal.

"That doesn't mean anything until you pass the trial!" said Natsu. "Besides, the magic council doesn't mean much. They don't even do background checks."

"Oh, and _you _do?" asked Jellal. He pointed at Lucy. "You didn't even know who SHE was until the whole incident with Phantom Lord, which is why SHE'S here!" He shifted, pointing at Juvia. "And you let an insane sociopath who attacked three of your guild members join almost instantly!"

Natsu frowned. "…That's not a nice thing to say about yourself," he said.

"Natsu, I think Jellal was more of a psychopath," said Happy.

"I wasn't talking about myself!" said Jellal. He paused. "But yes, that too. And I don't even want to begin on the whole Mystogan thing!"

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Wendy, and Erza stared at him for a few moments. Then, Gray spoke.

"Got that all off your chest?" he asked.

Jellal took a deep breath and nodded, settling back down. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I think so."

"Good," said Natsu, grinning. "In that case, let's go!"

"Aye, sir!" said Happy, raising his hand in the air.

He clapped Jellal on the back. Jellal sighed, folding his arms and leaning back in his seat as the train continued to move. So much for his alone time with Erza.

XxXxX

**Preview:**

Natsu: Jellal seems really upset that we're coming along with him. Maybe we interrupted something…

Happy: I'm sure it's not anything important!

Natsu: What kind of job is this anyway?

Happy: I don't know, but I think it has fish!

Natsu: Why do you say that?

Happy: Because Mirajane drew a fish on the poster!

Natsu: Eh? I think it looks more like a dragon!

Happy: Natsu…you have no eye for art.

**Next time, on Unconditional—"Chapter 4: Nightfall"!**


	5. Nightfall

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **I don't really like how this chapter turned out, but I do like a few scenes in it. I wrote this on the road, so the scene transitions might be a little choppy. Anyway, enjoy!

**NOTICE: **I need some audience input from all of you. Three years have passed since the events of the anime, which means that there are three new Fairy Tail S-ranked mages (including whoever wins the arc that the manga hasn't yet completed). I've said that Natsu is one of them, so I want your opinion. Who are the other two?

**Special Responses: **

**narutofan1091 - **This fic is primarily Jellal/Erza, but since I personally ship Natsu/Lucy, yes, there will be some hints towards that in this fic. Also included are Gajeel/Levy and Gray/Juvia.

** - **First of all, thanks for the really long review! Jellal isn't quite comfortable with everyone else yet, which is why I have him interacting primarily with Natsu (since Natsu doesn't _care _whether or not Jellal is comfortable with him yet, and is the perfect character to use to break him out of that shell), but I will be exploring his relationships with the others as well (I already have something with Lucy planned out). Also, about the preview, FFnet counts the prologue as Chapter 1, but I don't, so this is actually Chapter 4. Finally, Jellal also has the same voice actor as Prince Baka from Level E, so if you want something interesting, look up the Color Ranger song. Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not and will never own Fairy Tail.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 4: NIGHTFALL**

The seven of them walked out down the town's main street, Jellal, Gray, Natsu and Lucy in the lead. Erza followed along behind them, dragging her huge cart of luggage. Wendy walked beside her, looking around in wonder.

"So this is Onibus," she said. "I've never been here before."

"This brings back memories," said Natsu, grinning. "Remember when we put on the play here?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," said Lucy, pressing her hand over her face.

"Play?" asked Jellal.

"Mm," said Lucy. "It was a job to help out a theater. I was the princess, Gray was the villain, Natsu was a dragon, and Erza was a prince."

Jellal looked up in surprise. "You were a prince?" he asked.

"Is that really so hard to believe?" asked Erza.

"But she got really bad stage fright," whispered Gray, leaning towards Jellal.

"I see…" said Jellal, nodding.

Erza twitched. "I can hear you, you know!" she said.

"But to think they'd also have a museum here…" began Lucy. "We really should have looked around more."

"Remember, we're here on a job," said Erza. "We aren't sightseeing. Everybody needs to stay alert and be ready to act at all times."

Jellal nodded, holding his hand out in front of his face and flexing his fingers. He could still feel the power there, but it had been a long time since he had a chance to use it. "I might be a little rusty," he said. "It's been a while."

Juvia's eyes widened slightly as if she just remembered something, and she looked up. "Oh…" she said. "What magic do you use, Jellal-san?"

"Yeah, what magic _do _you use?" asked Gray, folding his arms over his now shirtless chest and turning towards him.

Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Ah…I think it was…Hot Body Magic, or something…"

"It's _HEAVENLY _BODY MAGIC!" shouted Jellal, turning around rapidly.

"But isn't that sort of the same thing…?" asked Lucy nervously, leaning towards Happy.

"Aye…" said Happy.

"What sort of magic is that?" asked Wendy, smiling at him.

"It's magic that draws its power from the stars and other heavenly bodies," replied Jellal, "Asteroids, constellations, and such."

Lucy perked up. "Constellations?" she asked.

Jellal nodded. "That's right," he said. "It's from the same family of magic as Stellar Spirit magic, except it's a Caster-type magic instead of a Holder-type magic."

"Uwah!" said Happy. "So, Lucy and Jellal use the same kind of magic?"

"More or less," said Jellal, "There are obvious differences, but there is some overlap." He stopped in front of a large gate at the end of the road. "This is it," he said.

The gate opened into a stone walkway, which led to a large gray building. A stone wall stood around the building, going around the grounds. From the street, it was a pretty impressive sight.

"This is the _museum_?" asked Lucy, surprised. "It looks almost like a mansion!"

"Lucy would know…" whispered Happy to Wendy in the rear of the group. Wendy giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"This is the Fiore National Museum of Magic," said Jellal, beginning to walk down the pathway. "There are items in here that are thousands of years old, and are more valuable than anything we'll ever earn in our lifetimes. So…"

"We understand," said Erza from behind him, fastening a chain around a struggling Natsu's wrists from behind. "Is this enough?"

"You better tie it tighter, Erza," said Gray, observing as Natsu began to thrash around and breathe fire.

"Ano…Gray…" began Juvia, gesturing at a sign posted up at the entrance of the museum. The sign proudly proclaimed "NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE."

"Ah!" cried Gray, jumping up as he realized he was now both shirtless and barefoot.

While Gray scrambled back into his clothes, Jellal began walking up the steps to the building. The four of them entered through the main entrance, stopping once they were all inside. Lucy, Wendy, and Juvia let out little gasps of wonder, looking around. Jellal couldn't blame them. The museum's foyer was large and grand, a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. It was one of the places that foreigners visited while they were in Fiore, and with good reason. A man in a suit stopped them as they walked in. He was short, barely coming up to Jellal's chest, but he was tall in comparison to Makarov. He was an elderly man, and all his hair had gone gray. He also wore a monocle.

"Excuse me," he said. "Are you the Fairy Tail wizards?"

"We are," said Jellal, looking behind him to make sure that Erza had a good hold on the struggling Dragon Slayer.

"Come with me," he said. "The exhibit is in here, but due to security reasons, I'm afraid I can only allow two of you in at a time."

Jellal nodded, exchanging glances with Erza. She nodded back, handing Natsu over to Gray and Lucy and walking with him. The man led them to a door at the end of the main hallway, nodding past two guards that stood there and opening it. They walked in.

The room was circular, with a domed ceiling. Four doors, counting the one they had just come in through, led into it. At the center of the room, on a raised dais, was a rectangular glass case, with a pedestal in the center of that. A small object rested on a pillow on the pedestal, and there were security ropes in a circle around the dais, stopping tourists from walking right up to the pedestal. The room was currently empty—there were no tourists. The man unhooked one of the ropes, and the two of them crossed over to the pedestal itself. Erza remained on the first step with the man, and Jellal listened to their conversation as he walked up to the glass case.

"My name is Saril," he heard the man say, "and I'm the curator of this museum. Recently, we've had several of our most valuable objects stolen. The thefts always occur at the same time, immediately at nightfall. Nobody sees or hears anything, and witnesses claim that the exhibits simply disappear in a flash."

"Any connection between the stolen exhibits?" asked Erza.

Jellal frowned, stopping in front of the case and looking down at the pedestal. On it was a small object just large enough to fit into his palm. It was rectangular object with rounded edges. In its upper right hand corner was a semi-circle, encircling the entire corner. It was made of stone, and had grooves cut into the sides of it. At its center was a circular pattern. It looked smooth, almost like glass or obsidian, and it was glowing with a faint green light. If he looked closely, he could see patterns swirling inside of it.

"None that I can think of, except their estimated age," said the curator. "All the stolen pieces were assumed to have been created in the same time frame. Coincidentally, the same as this piece, which is why we're concerned." He gestured at the glass case.

Jellal's eyes narrowed. He reached out, letting his fingers brush against the cool glass. He could feel the magical power in the object below. While it might have been impressive at some point, all he could feel from it now was remnants. It didn't seem to be dangerous, and yet he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"What are we looking at?" he asked, lowering his hand and turning towards the curator.

The curator frowned at him, adjusting his monocle. "This piece was excavated from the northern ruins recently," he said. "There's another one like it, however, due to the security issues, that piece is being kept in storage. We just set this exhibit up today. It won't be ready for public viewing until tomorrow morning."

"Have you tried runes to stop the thefts?" asked Erza, frowning and folding her arms.

"Of course we have," said the curator, bristling. "We've placed runes on the entire building saying that nobody not approved by us can enter this building after closing."

"An inside job, then?" asked Jellal.

The curator shook his head. "All our staff have been thoroughly vetted, and once the thefts started, we stopped allowing staff members to wander the building on their own."

"Runes aren't absolute," said Erza. "There are ways around them."

"Indeed," said the curator. "Which is why _you_'_re _here. The museum closes today at five o'clock. If you have no more questions, please be here by then. I'll add an extra provision that seven Fairy Tail mages may enter."

"Nine," said Jellal.

Erza frowned, looking up. Jellal shrugged.

"Happy and Charle," he said.

Erza nodded in reply. The curator nodded as well, then turned around and left the room. Once the door was closed behind them, Erza turned towards him.

"Not very secure, leaving the two of us alone with the exhibit," she commented.

Jellal shook his head. "The glass is infused with Body Link magic," he said. "Anybody that breaks it gets a nasty shock, and likely triggers the security system." He frowned and glanced at the room's corners. "A ring of small Lacrima around the room, where the walls meet the ceiling."

"You noticed all that from touching the glass?" asked Erza.

He shrugged. "It wasn't hard," he said. "See for yourself."

Erza frowned, then walked over to the glass and placed her hand on it. She concentrated for a moment, then, her eyes widened. "You're right," she said, looking impressed. "But I wouldn't have figured it out if I didn't know what to look for."

"You figured out Midnight's magic, back then," said Jellal, shaking his head. "We're even." He turned towards her. "What do you think?"

"The two of us in here," said Erza. "One of the others at the gate, and the other four at each of the four entrances."

"Cover all of our bases," said Jellal, nodding.

Erza nodded back. "We'll put Wendy at the gate," she said. "She moves fast, and she has a good nose. If someone comes in, she can warn us right away."

"Natsu on the entrance nearest the gate," said Jellal. "He can keep an eye out for Wendy…"

"…and Wendy can make sure he doesn't break anything," finished Erza.

Jellal nodded again. "Good plan," he said.

"Agreed. Let's go out and talk to the others," she replied.

"Mm," said Jellal. The two of them stepped down from the dais, replacing the security ropes and walking out of the door. They closed it behind them, watching as a magic circle appeared over the lock and sank in, sealing the door. Once that was done, they walked back to the entrance, where Natsu and the others were waiting. Erza walked ahead, Jellal about two steps behind her. Jellal looked up as he heard the clank of armor.

"Oops. Sorry, miss," said a young man, about seventeen years old. He had messy black hair, and was dressed in a dark shirt and pants, his head bowed slightly. He had apparently bumped into Erza.

"It's no problem," said Erza, nodding at him. She stepped around him, walking past. "Excuse me."

He nodded back and continued to walk through the museum. Jellal watched him go, frowning. He had a sudden bad feeling about this.

XxXxX

The sun continued to sink, creeping down towards the western horizon and lengthening the shadows over the museum. Wendy sat on top of the gate, the soles of her feet pressed together as she held them in her hand. The museum had closed a long time ago, and if she turned her head, she could see Natsu leaning against one of the entrance pillars with his arms folded, looking bored with Happy sitting on the steps beside him.

Gray was positioned on the opposite side of the building, at the North Entrance, standing with his back to the wall and his hands in the pockets of his pants. At the East Entrance, Lucy stood at the ready, her hand resting over her pouch of keys. Horologium stood beside her, ready to alert the others the moment the sun set. Juvia waited at the West Entrance, a frown on her face. In the circular room at the center of the building stood Erza and Jellal, standing beside the exhibit and guarding the area carefully.

She sighed and tilted her head back, feeling the wind from the top of the gates blow through her hair.

"I hope nothing bad happens…" she said.

"Wendy!" scolded Charle from beside her. "Sit like a lady! I've been letting you hang around those other Dragon Slayers too much!"

Wendy let out a loud 'eep', quickly lowering her legs and straightening out her skirt. "S-Sorry," she said, clasping her hands in her lap.

XxXxX

"It's still clear," said Erza, her arms folded as she turned towards Jellal.

"Well," said Jellal, "It isn't nightfall yet."

"Mm," said Erza, nodding. The two of them were standing at the top of the dais, a few feet away from each other. The museum had closed an hour ago, and although the day was wearing thin, the sun was still out. In a few minutes, it would set though. The sun didn't stay out for too long during this time of year.

"Are you ready?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yes," said Jellal, nodding.

They stood there in silence for a few moments.

"…I'm sorry," said Erza suddenly, breaking the silence.

"For what?" asked Jellal, looking up.

Erza stared down at her armored hand, her fingers curling inward. He could hear the sound of metal against metal as her armor set itself into this new position. "…When they took you away," she said. "I should have done something."

Jellal shook his head. "No, I'm grateful for what you did," he said. "If you hadn't done that, all of you would have ended up in prison with me."

"Still," said Erza, looking down. "I can't help but wonder…if there was something else I could have done."

"You stopped them from executing me," said Jellal.

"That was Master Makarov," said Erza, shaking her head. "I didn't say a thing. The council wouldn't even let me through the doors."

"Who do you think put the idea into his head?" asked Jellal, slipping his hands into his pockets. "…It was you, Erza. Makarov wouldn't have done that for my sake alone."

Erza didn't respond, hugging her arms. She looked away from him, lowering her eyes. He watched her, a frown on his face. He wanted to say something, but the words seemed to stop in his throat.

"What was it like…in there?" asked Erza, still not looking up.

"It wasn't the worst place I've been," said Jellal with a small chuckle. Erza looked up, her eyes wide, and he shook his head quickly. Clearly, this wasn't the right time for a joke. He paused for a moment, frowning as he turned away from her. "It was…dark," he said, thinking back to that time, sitting in his cell, watching the light stream down from a single high window. "I had…a lot of time to think."

"Three years…" said Erza, "All alone. I can't imagine."

"No," said Jellal, shaking his head. He looked up at her. "I wasn't alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Erza, looking up at him in surprise.

He frowned at her, his eyes serious. "You're the one that told me, remember?" he asked. "You said 'I'm with you'. I haven't forgotten that, Erza."

She stared at him in shock, her eyes wide. He looked at her and smiled, then turned away.

"I'm glad I got to see you again," he said.

"Jellal…" began Erza.

Jellal shook his head. At that moment, chimes rang out through the air. Both of them looked up, turning towards the door.

"It's time," he said.

"Get ready," said Erza, extending her hands and requipping a halberd into them in a flash of light.

Jellal nodded, straightening up and extending his hand, his golden magic circle forming at the tips of his fingers.

All around him, the members of Fairy Tail looked up.

XxXxX

The last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, dark shadows closing in behind them. Wendy stood on the wall, the wind blowing through her hair and the fabric of her dress as she watched them. She took a deep breath and swallowed, feeling her body react in time to the flow of air. Behind her, the last echoes of Horologium's warning chimes died down.

It was time.

She tensed, her eyes widening as she felt a sudden cold wind rush past her. A sharp scent followed it, one that she had never smelled before. It smelled odd—almost dead. The wind ripped past her, blowing her hair out. She whipped around, eyes wide.

XxXxX

The wind tore through the courtyard quickly, brushing past Natsu and right over his head. Natsu turned, noticing it as well, but before he could even say anything, it had already entered the museum, slipping underneath the cracks in the door and into the room. Erza and Jellal looked up suddenly, sensing it. It rushed past them and into the glass, going straight _through _the glass and out the other end.

And the artifact was gone.

"It's gone!" said Erza.

Jellal's eyes widened and he whipped around, catching sight of a shadow moving against the wall.

"_Meteor_!" he called, golden light surrounding him and speeding up his movements. He sped after the shadow, the world rushing past him as the light streamed out behind him. The shadow sped away from the light, rushing towards the North Entrance. Behind him, he could hear Erza running, having requipped into a more flexible armor. His eyes narrowed as the shadow neared the Entrance.

"Gray!" he called, speeding up further.

Gray nodded. "_Ice Make Wall!" _he called, slamming his hands down onto the floor. A wall of ice shot up, sealing the entire entrance. The shadow slammed straight into the ice, slowing down slightly as it moved through it. It flew out the other end, speeding down the walkway towards the wall.

"Damn it!" cursed Gray, turning around.

Jellal's eyes narrowed and he held out his hand, a blast of golden light tearing through the ice wall as he rushed past. The shadow continued to run, clearing the wall easily and disappearing into the forest behind.

"_Vernier!" _yelled a feminine voice from above.

He barely spared a glance as Charle flew overhead, dropping Wendy down on the wall. He bounded up the wall, landing on it at the same time she did. Wendy jumped off the wall, a pale blue light surrounding her as her Sky Magic went to work. She sniffed the air once and sped after the shadow, following it. He followed her into the forest, running quickly. He meant to reach it first, but Wendy had the advantage of scent.

Despite his enhanced speed, he saw everything happen in slow motion.

She leapt into the air as the shadow hovered for a moment, her eyes narrowed as she grabbed onto it. The shadow twisted around, wrapping around her arms, and Wendy's eyes widened suddenly in shock, her Sky Magic fizzling out as it wrapped around her.

There was a flash, and then both Wendy and the shadow were gone.

"WENDY!" shouted Charle from above him.

XxXxX

**Preview:**

Happy: Oh no, Natsu! Wendy was taken!

Natsu: Ah! Why didn't I get any screen time this chapter?

Happy: …That's what he's worried about…?

Natsu: My main character aura is slipping away!

Happy: Natsu, what about Wendy?

Natsu: It'll be okay, because Wendy is also a Fairy Tail wizard!

Happy: Are you sure…?

Natsu: Of course! You just watch, she'll take a bite right out of his head!

Happy: Ah, but…Wendy eats air, not shadow…

Natsu: You're serious?

**Next time, on Unconditional—"Chapter 5: Breath of the Sky Maiden"**


	6. Breath of the Sky Maiden

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **I feel like the first scene should be its own chapter, but it's too short to add as its own chapter. Hope this works out well, though. Credit for the current arc villain's appearance goes to my sister, who drew him for me. (And since I know she's reading this, I left out the white tips in his hair because I didn't want him to look like Midnight too much. Sorry, kiddo.)

Also, I know the anime doesn't show any blood, but I'm not the anime, I can't write a battle scene without mentioning at least some injuries, or it doesn't feel particularly realistic (not that it bothers me when the anime does it). After much internal debate, I kept the Dragon Slayer spells in Japanese. If you prefer it in English (_Karyuu no Houkou_ vs. Fire Dragon's Roar vs. Roar of the Fire Dragon), please let me know so I can take note of that for future chapters. For Wendy's new spells, translation notes are at the bottom. Please don't kill me if it's completely wrong. I only know basic Japanese (a little grammar and such) and a lot of the words are looked up.

**Special Responses**

**DoomKnight1of24 – **Erm…something happens in this chapter that I swear is not a reaction to your review. I had it planned out already, but it's funny you should mention that….

**REGARDING S-CLASS MAGES: **We have so far 2 votes for Gray, 3 votes for Juvia, 2 votes for Gajeel, and 2 votes for Freed. So Juvia is definitely one of them, we just need one more. Please choose between Gray, Gajeel, and Freed, and let me know in a review. Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not and will never own Fairy Tail.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 5: BREATH OF THE SKY MAIDEN**

She crouched in one of the trees behind the museum, her right hand braced against the tree trunk as she looked out at the forest from behind rounded glasses. Below her, the streak of golden light that was her target blazed through the forest, leaving everyone else in the dust as he ran to catch up with Wendy Marvell.

He was alone.

"_WENDY!" _shouted the white cat that flew overhead as the Sky Dragon Slayer vanished in a flash. The wind from her passing moved through her hair and the white coat that she wore, her braid falling back against her as the wind died down. She frowned, raising one gloved hand to the brace she wore around her arm.

_Breach of release conditions_…she thought, her fingers hovering around the button that would report him to the council.

Her eyes widened, her finger freezing into the air as everything behind the target went up in flames.

XxXxX

Jellal froze, turning around as he suddenly felt the heat at his back. The flames burned a path straight through the trees, reducing everything in their wake to ash. They died down almost as quickly as they came, leaving a long burnt trail. The flames illuminated the area around him for a moment, curling around Natsu as they died down. The pink-haired Dragon Slayer took a step forward, glaring at him.

"Natsu…what…?" began Jellal.

Natsu scowled and lifted his arm, pointing at Jellal. "I see you," he said.

"What?" asked Jellal.

Natsu continued to walk forward, his sandals leaving impressions in the ash. He lowered his hand. "I, an S-ranked Fairy Tail mage, see you," he repeated. "Don't forget."

Jellal's eyes widened in realization. "I—," he began as Natsu continued to walk towards him, looking angry. "Natsu—."

"Natsu—."

Natsu held up two fingers before Jellal could say anything. "Twice," he said, his free hand clenching into a fist. "You made Erza cry twice. Do it again because the council executes you, and I'll follow you to the other side and beat you up myself! Got it?"

Jellal stared at Natsu for a moment, meeting the other man's eyes. They were angry, but whether that anger was directed at him or at circumstances, it was hard to tell. They were also determined. For a moment, he knew, no matter how impossible it was or it sounded, that Natsu would do everything in his power to carry out his threat. Natsu's eyes hardened, his scowl deepening.

"Don't leave Erza alone again! You got that, damn it?" he yelled.

A moment passed between the two of them. Then, Jellal nodded, a small smile forming on his face.

"Yeah…" he said, holding out his hand. "I got it."

The two of them clasped arms, a sign of promise. Natsu nodded, giving Jellal a determined grin. Jellal withdrew his hand, turning away as the others arrived, calling after them.

"Let's find Wendy," he said, his expression becoming serious again.

"Yeah," said Natsu, nodding as Jellal walked away. Jellal frowned, looking up at Erza and the others. He still felt it, the same uneasy feeling he had felt when first looking at the exhibit. It was as if he should know something about this.

That magic from earlier…

He turned his head slightly, glancing back into the forest and frowning.

_A Dragon Slayer with an almost unlimited power source…_he thought. _…I shouldn't be worried for her, and yet…_

His fist clenched.

…_Something isn't right. _

XxXxX

Her finger hovered over the button for a moment longer before she let out the breath she was holding, her hand falling away.

"This time…" she murmured, watching as her target walked back towards the group. "This time, you got away…"

Her eyes widened sharply as the Dragon Slayer suddenly paused from behind the target, turning his head so that he was looking straight at her. In the shadows of the forest, there was no way he would have been able to see her, but he stared in her direction anyway, his eyes narrowed. As she watched, he raised his head and scented the air, tilting his head towards her in challenge. There was nothing but fury in his expression.

The Salamander turned away sharply, his signature scarf twisting around behind him as he followed the target back.

XxXxX

In a different part of the forest, the shadow rose into the air, Wendy flying out of it roughly. The young Dragon Slayer let out a high pitched shout and flew backwards, her back slamming into a tree as she slumped to the ground. She grit her teeth and rolled over, crushing the grass beneath her palms as she pushed herself up. In front of her, the shadows gathered and coalesced, twisting around and thickening until they formed the shape of a man.

"Who are you?" she asked.

He stepped out of it casually, his hands in the pockets of his long black pants. He was dressed almost formally, in dark pants, a dark jacket, and a thin black tie around his collar. His hair was messy and black, falling down past his ears. His eyes were cool gray. The darkness settled around him like a shard as he stepped forward, smirking down at her. He was young, somewhere between her age and Natsu's.

"What do we have here?" he asked. "A little Fairy Tail pest?"

"Are you with a dark guild?" she asked, ignoring him. Her eyes narrowed.

He stopped in front of her, staring down at her. "A dark guild?" he asked. "Why would I bother with a guild at all?" He held up one hand, revealing a small stone piece. "Looking for this?"

Wendy got to her feet, dusting herself off. She couldn't hear Natsu and the others, and they had gone far enough away that she couldn't catch their scent. The wind rustled in the trees, blowing through her hair as she faced him, her expression serious.

"Give it back," she said.

"Make me."

Wendy hesitated, her eyes widening slightly. This was an S-class mission, and she wasn't even close to being an S-ranked mage. Her fists clenched and unclenched, and she took one step behind her, the wind still brushing against her legs from when she had cast Vernier. His smirk widened as he watched her.

"What's this?" he asked. "Afraid?"

She clenched her fists and grit her teeth, looking straight at him. There was no helping it. She couldn't let him get away. For the sake of the mission, she had to hold him off long enough for Natsu and the others to arrive.

The wind curled around them both, shadows surrounding him as he rushed at her.

XxXxX

The group of six walked through the forest, Happy and Charle hovering in the air above them. Jellal walked at the head of the group, keeping his eyes straight ahead of him. They couldn't be too far away. They would see some sign of them soon.

"What the hell was that back there?" asked a voice from beside him.

He looked up, glancing at the Ice Mage. Gray walked next to him, shirtless and dressed in his dark pants and shoes. He frowned. He hadn't really spoken to Gray before, nor had he really had a reason to. Gray made it clear early on that he only tolerated Jellal because Natsu and Erza trusted him, and hadn't really spoken to him outside of the usual insanity that was Fairy Tail.

He frowned, looking away. "A shadow," said Jellal. "Or, my best guess, a person that can turn his body into shadow."

"They can do that?" asked Gray.

"Certain forms of Darkness Magic might be able to do it," said Jellal. "I've never heard of it done on this scale. That doesn't mean it's impossible."

The Ice Mage nodded once, folding his arms. "That's how he got through my ice," he said.

Jellal nodded. "Darkness is just the absence of light," he said, "It seems that anything light can pass through, it can pass through, such as ice and glass."

"But not Wendy," said Gray.

"Exactly," said Jellal. He frowned. "It's safe to say water won't work on it either."

Gray nodded as if that made sense, still not looking at him. Jellal turned to watch him. He could almost see the thoughts turning over in Gray's head. He was definitely more level-headed than Natsu, although when it really came down to the wire, neither of them were dumb. "…What about fire?"

"Fire should work," he said. "It produces light."

"Tch," said Gray, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"So…it's weak against light?" asked Lucy from behind him.

"At the very least, light drives it away," said Jellal. "It would explain why it waits for nightfall to strike."

Lucy nodded, and Jellal saw her take a deep breath as if to gather her courage, taking one key out of her pouch. He glanced at the symbol on it.

The Gate of the Lion.

He nodded once, turning back to the trail in front of him.

XxXxX

She was crouched on the ground, one hand pressing up against it and the other resting against her knee. Her breathing came in ragged pants, sweat and dirt making her hair cling to the sides of her face. Her dress was ripped in places, and a line of blood trickled down her arm from a wound on her right arm. Her right cheek was bruised, and blood was beginning to seep through her dress as well. Tendrils of darkness hovered in the air around her, and blue light on her skin shimmered faintly.

He landed on the ground in front of her, his hands still in his pockets as he looked down at her.

"Trying to use your Healing Magic?" he asked. "It won't work. My darkness gets into everything. You can't heal yourself."

Wendy didn't respond, glaring at him as she continued to breathe hard. He walked around her in a half circle, watching her with disdain.

"Is this all the power of a Dragon Slayer?" he asked. "Pathetic. Your dragon must be ashamed that she even spared you a second glance."

She didn't respond, tracking his movements with her eyes.

"Look at you," he said, coming to a stop. "After something as simple as that, you're already breathing hard. Killing you wouldn't even be worth the effort."

She took another quick breath. "I'm n-not…" she said, her fingers curling inwards and scratching a line in the dirt. Her arm shook as she pushed herself up on her hands, her head lowered as she grit her teeth. "N-not…"

He frowned at her. "Not what?"

"Not breathing," she said. "I'm…" Her eyes narrowed and she gulped down another breath, looking up.

"…eating."

His eyes widened in alarm, and that was all the warning he had as she suddenly launched herself towards him, a blast of wind behind her propelling her forward like a bullet. The wind swirled around her, shimmering with a faint blue light.

"_Tenryuu no Uzumaki!" _she called, extending her arms to either side of her and turning in the air as she neared him. The wind followed her arms, narrowing into blades that slashed at him twice as she passed, her blue hair streaming behind her. He jumped back, the wind tearing through the front of his clothes and leaving two shallow gashes on his chest. His eyes widened and he raised his hand, one of the tendrils of darkness around him narrowing into a point and shooting down on her from above.

The blade cut through empty air, the wind dispersing.

"Too slow," she said from behind him, gritting her teeth and kicking upward. The kick launched her opponent into the air before he could react. She jumped into the air after him, a few feet below him. Wendy threw back her head.

"_Tenryuu no…" _She opened her mouth, taking a deep breath. A blue magic circle formed in the air. _"…HOUKOU!" _

A column of sky blue air shot out from her mouth, slamming into the enemy. The wind dispersed, the two of them falling to the ground.

XxXxX

The blue column rose high into the air, over the trees. From this distance, Jellal could still feel the wind moving. Charle immediately flew overhead, spreading her wings and skimming the tops of the trees. He stopped moving, staring up at it as it faded away. "Wendy," said Erza, standing next to him. He nodded once at her.

"Let's go," he said, forming his magic circle in his hand. Erza nodded back, requipping a sword into hers.

"Happy!" said Natsu, raising his hand.

"Aye, sir!" said Happy, swooping down and picking Natsu up. Jellal glanced back at the others. White mist clung around Gray's hands, and Juvia's eyes were narrowed. Lucy had Leo's golden key in her hand, ready to summon at any time. He nodded at them, then ran off after Natsu with Erza at his side.

The group burst through a strand of trees and into the clearing, ready to fight. Jellal had his hand up, a golden magic circle spinning quickly in the air in front of his palm. Erza held up two swords at the ready to his right, and to his left, Gray had spread his legs slightly and had his fist in his palm. The three of them stood there for a moment, then blinked, looking down to see the enemy on the ground. He was sprawled out onto his back, one arm extended. A small stone tablet lay just a few inches from his fingers, and his eyes were closed.

Jellal, Erza, and Gray froze, turning their heads at the same time to see Wendy also lying on the ground with Natsu crouching beside her, propping her up with his arm. She was injured, and wisps of darkness twisted around her wounds. She lifted her head with some effort, looking up at them and smiling sheepishly, revealing one of her small fangs.

"H-Hello, everyone…" she said.

"Tsk, how useless," muttered Charle from beside Wendy, folding her arms and glaring at them.

"_IT'S ALREADY OVER?" _

The three of them sighed, getting out of their fighting positions.

"That's what they get for trying to look cool," said Lucy to Juvia, waving her hand in the air as she gestured vaguely at her three deflated teammates. Juvia nodded her head in reply.

Wendy suddenly coughed, causing the three of them to look up. She twisted around in Natsu's grip, supporting herself on both hands as she coughed twice, her arms shaking. Natsu stared down at her, his hands hovering over her arms uncertainly.

"You alright, Wendy-chan?" he asked.

"I think I overdid it…a little…" said Wendy looking up, her dark blue hair falling over one side of her face. She took a quick gasping breath. Charle's eyes widened, the white cat dropping her arms to her sides and turning towards her. "Wendy…" she said, as Natsu grabbed onto her arms to hold her up. "Oi, hang in there!" he said.

"Can't you heal yourself?" asked Lucy, frowning down in concern.

Wendy shook her head. "He did something…" she said, extending her wounded arm slightly to show them. The shadow wrapped around it, looking almost like a snake. Jellal frowned, watching as it seeped into the wound.

"Shadow?" he asked, taking a step forward.

She nodded.

He placed his hand on Lucy's arm, nudging her aside. She complied, stepping to the side and watching as he walked past. Natsu frowned up at him, shuffling to the right so that he could stand in front of Wendy. She looked up at him at the same time as he looked down, watching him carefully. There was no fear in her eyes, just trust and confusion. A memory came back to him, that of this same girl, three years younger, half a foot shorter, and less confident. He remembered her face coming into focus as he opened his eyes with no idea who he was or where he was, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"_Jellal…" _

He knelt and extended his hand, touching his fingers to her forehead. Bright golden light spilled out from his hand, surrounding her. She tensed, gritting her teeth as the shadows convulsed, resisting against the light for just a moment before disintegrating and disappearing. He felt her relax once the shadows left her, and he slowly removed his hand, the light dying down.

"You should be able to heal yourself now," he said, withdrawing as she fell to her hands and knees. She nodded, and he saw her take big gulps of air, blue light surrounding her injuries. He patted her once on the shoulder, then stood up.

_We're even. _

He turned around, towards the man on the ground. Erza was standing over him, the tip of her sword pointed at him in case he decided to move. She was standing next to the tablet.

"Should we tie him up?" asked Lucy, looking down at him uncertainly.

Jellal frowned down at the man, his lip curling in disdain. The man opened his eyes, smirking up at Jellal. Jellal stared down at him for a moment, before extending his hand. A blast of light slammed into him suddenly, causing everyone to look up. Lucy gasped.

"Jellal!" shouted Erza, her eyes wide.

"Oi!" said Gray, turning around to face him.

"What the hell?" asked Natsu, turning his head as well.

He raised his free hand to placate his companions. "Wait," he said. "Look."

The light had torn a hole in the man, but there was no blood, only shadow. The man smirked at him again—he didn't even seem to be in pain. Jellal raised his hand and the light intensified, the rest of the shadows disintegrating. When they were gone, there was no one there.

Natsu sniffed the air.

"A fake," he said.

Jellal nodded. "A thought projection," he said. "That's how he was able to get through the runes. They didn't recognize him as a person."

"Then…" said Erza, leaning down to pick up the tablet. Jellal watched, already knowing what would happen. The moment Erza's fingers touched it, the tablet faded away.

"It disappeared!" said Happy, pointing.

"The real tablet is with the real thief," said Jellal. He frowned, thinking it over. "We need to talk to the curator."

"Why?" asked Juvia.

Jellal turned. "Because he knows where the thief will strike next."

XxXxX

**Preview:**

Natsu: I'm tired of all this talking! When do I get to beat someone up?

Happy: Natsu…you're going to end up breaking something again…

Natsu: GAH! I'M ALL FIRED UP! HAPPY! LET'S GO AT IT!

Happy: _WHAT? _

Natsu: _Karyuu no Houkou! _

Happy: UWAH!

**Next time, on Unconditional—"Chapter 6: The Archives"! **

XxXxX

**Notes: **

[1] _Tenryuu no Uzumaki = _Sky Dragon's Vortex / Vortex of the Sky Dragon

[2] _Tenryuu no Houkou (canon) = _Sky Dragon's Roar / Roar of the Sky Dragon


	7. The Archives

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **This chapter has a lot of talking that I wanted to get out of the way before the action starts in the next chapter, so I hope that doesn't bother you too much. (There's about two essential scenes in this chapter that the conclusion of the arc wouldn't make sense without.) In the meantime, enjoy the Gray/Juvia of this chapter.

**S-CLASS POLL: **The results are in! Freed got 1 vote, Gray got 1 vote, and Gajeel got 2 votes. So the new S-class mages in this story are Natsu, Juvia, and Gajeel. Hopefully Gray will win the next one…if Jellal isn't in the running, lol. (Also, it's entirely possible that this might be proven wrong in the next few chapters of the manga, since looking at the list of those three, the only way this could be right is if Natsu wins. So if Natsu doesn't win…oops.)

**NOTE: **I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. was not letting me post anything new. The problem is still not fixed (I still can't post new stories up, but I figured out a way to update **Unconditional **so yay!)

**SPECIAL RESPONSES: **

**chaoticsouljam – **This is a response to something you posted up in **Three of a Kind. **Keep your eyes open, I might post up a side story to **Unconditional **in the near future, set after this mission. *teehee*

**Arora HickoryEye – **Take into account that Natsu was the first person to start fighting the knights and trying to save Jellal, which is why he's acting so friendly towards Jellal now. Also, Gray still distrusts him. As for everyone else in the guild, they didn't personally see what Jellal did, so this is easier for them (although Makarov is still unhappy with him). I'm glad you like it though!

**Disclaimer: **I do not and will never own Fairy Tail.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 6: THE ARCHIVES**

The inside of Saril's home was almost blindingly bright after the darkness of the forest. The house was on the outskirts of Onibus, near enough to the museum for the curator to get there in case of an emergency. When they entered, the curator was waiting for them. It was only an hour after sunset, and he was sitting at the kitchen table, looking over a pile of old books. He looked up, studying their faces. The curator frowned.

"I take it things did not go well?" he asked.

Jellal frowned. "No," he said. "But you mentioned that the artifact was part of a set?"

The curator nodded.

"Where is the other piece kept?"

He frowned at them, glancing down at the book on the table in front of him once before standing up and putting the book aside. "In the Fiore Archives," he said, giving Jellal a level look. Erza glanced at the look on Jellal's face, frowning. He sensed her interest, but did not turn towards her. His expression was unreadable, his eyes distant even as he nodded his head.

"I thought so," he said.

Life had a funny way of doing things. This was the very thing he had been trying to avoid.

"They are—," began the man.

"I know where they are," said Jellal, interrupting him. "And I know what they are. Can you give us permission to access them?"

Saril the curator frowned, watching him carefully. He didn't seem at all perturbed by the interruption. In fact, he looked as if Jellal's answer had finally cleared something up in his mind. Then, he nodded. "I can," he said. "You think the thief is going to strike there next?"

"I do," said Jellal. "We'll recover the artifact." He turned towards the others. "If we leave in the morning, we should be there well before nightfall."

They nodded and turned around, starting to walk out of the house. Jellal followed them, walking past Erza and making his way outside. He had gone a few steps when she stopped him, tilting her head towards him and calling his name.

"Jellal."

He looked up, but didn't turn around.

"Where are these Archives?" she asked.

His shoulders tensed for a brief moment, his fingers curling into loose fists at his side. "They're in a network of underground caverns," he finally said. "Directly outside Era."

He stood there in silence for a few moments before following the others outside, his eyes shadowed by his hair.

XxXxX

The train lumbered on towards Era, the scenery drifting by outside the window of their compartment. Jellal sat across from her, his expression thoughtful. He had hardly said a word since last night, something that had gone unnoticed by the rest of their team. It was easy for one person's voice to be drowned out by the other voices at Fairy Tail, particularly when Natsu and Gray started the morning with a fight about Natsu apparently rolling over onto Gray's futon in the night and neither of them liking that surprise much in the morning.

She hugged her arms close to herself, crossing her legs and looking out the window. Since this morning, she hadn't been feeling too well. She wondered if there was something in the water at the inn, although Lucy and the others hadn't been complaining about anything. Erza couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it felt like something was off. Perhaps she was coming down with a cold.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up, surprised. The question had come from Jellal, who was now looking at her, his arms folded.

"I'm fine," she said. "I just feel a little off."

He frowned at her in concern. "Should I get Wendy?" he asked.

Erza shook her head. "No need to trouble her. I'm sure it's nothing."

He frowned at her, as if he didn't completely believe that, but he didn't insist. She turned towards him. "Are _you _alright?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked in reply.

"We're heading towards Era," said Erza.

"The council never said I couldn't go to Era, under proper supervision." He looked at Erza. "I'm properly supervised."

"Even so…" said Erza.

"I'm fine with it," said Jellal. "Honestly."

She looked up at him, studying his face carefully. He wore an expression on her face that she was familiar with. She had seen it on him a handful of times when they were children, when he would finish encouraging the rest of them and telling them that it was going to be okay, and that they would make it out of here. It had worried her then, just as it worried her now. Sho and the others might not have noticed it back then, but even as a child, Jellal knew how to hide all his thoughts behind an expression.

"Don't close yourself off from me," she said. "Please."

Jellal didn't say anything, his frown deepening. He leaned back in his seat, turning to look out the window. Erza's fingers twitched, curling inward for a brief moment.

Not for the first time, she wondered. What had it been like, for someone with the same background as her, who had spent most of his childhood in captivity, who had grown up in another sort of captivity, whether or not he could remember it? What had it been like for him to find himself imprisoned, yet again, for three years? Underneath Era, not seeing another human face, trapped in the dark with fleeting memories of a past that terrified him?

She felt a shudder run down her spine. She remembered how it had felt, to be brought back to the Tower of Paradise.

"I'm going to get some food," said Jellal, standing up. "I suppose being in a train counts as being inside. Do you want anything?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine," she said.

She stared after him as he left, because even though she had asked him not to, Jellal Fernandes had closed himself off from her. And she thought she knew why.

Maybe it was because he didn't want her to see that Era was his Tower of Paradise.

XxXxX

"Here."

Juvia blinked, looking up as a cup was thrust at her. She took it with both hands, nodding appreciatively.

"Thank you."

Gray shrugged in response, dropping back into his own seat. She took a sip of the iced tea, watching the scenery pass by through the window of the compartment. She felt a brief flash of worry that Gray was still mad at her for winning the recent S-class trial. Even though she hadn't been as insecure about Gray as she was three years ago, it still bothered her that she had had to compete against him.

She swallowed, taking a bigger gulp of iced tea than she meant to, because the last time she had asked him about it, which had been a couple of months ago, he had told her to stop worrying about it. And…

_Juvia is not worrying. Juvia is not worrying. _

"What?" asked Gray, looking up at her. "You're looking at me weird again."

"Juvia is not worrying!" she said suddenly, pointing a finger at him dramatically.

Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, did Juvia say that out loud?" she asked, suddenly curling up on the bench and turning away from him as her face reddened. "Juvia said that out loud. Now, Gray thinks Juvia is crazy. Juvia is _still _talking out loud…!"

Gray sighed. "Juvia," he said, causing her to look up. "Will you relax?" he asked.

Juvia blinked at him, then nodded slowly, lowering her feet to the floor. Her heart pounded in her chest as she clasped her hands in her lap. He frowned at her, since she was obviously _not _relaxed.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "You were almost normal a couple of weeks ago."

Her face reddened and she looked away. "Ano…that's because…" She took a deep breath. "…That's because it's almost five months…"

He frowned at her. "Five months?" he asked. "Since…?" She glanced at him and looked back away, and his eyes widened slightly in realization. "Wait, you mean—I'm pretty sure that's not for a couple of weeks."

"That's not it!" said Juvia, shaking her head. "Juvia has…Juvia has…"

Their voices came into her head again, overlapping. It had been so long since she had thought of them, but she was doing it more and more lately. _You're so gloomy…It's always raining when you're around, I can't take it…We can never do anything fun…_

Raindrops falling on the ground, trickling down from her umbrella…

Bora's back as he walked away…

"…never been in a relationship for more than five months," she finished, mumbling the last part under her breath.

"What?" asked Gray, looking up.

"…Juvia's relationships have never lasted more than five months," she said, her face burning. Her body boiled, not from anger but from embarrassment as steam rose from the surface of her skin. Gray stared at her for a few moments, silent. Then…

"What? Is that all?" he asked. "Sheesh! Don't do that. I thought something was seriously wrong."

Juvia's eyes widened. He had just brushed off her worries like they were nothing. Was he making fun of her? She turned towards him.

"GRAY!" she shouted, angrily.

The look on his face stopped her cold. He was watching her seriously, his dark eyes intent. He looked annoyed, not at _her _specifically, but perhaps at what she had said. "What?" he asked. "You're not the same person you were back then, right? So why are you worried about this now?"

She took a deep breath, her hand curling over her chest, where the Fairy Tail mark was pinned. "…Gray isn't tired of me yet?"

"If I was, don't you think I'd say something?" asked Gray, raising an eyebrow.

"Ano…well…I suppose that's right," said Juvia, looking away. She pulled her gloved hand closer to herself.

She didn't realize he was standing right in front of her until his hand caught her chin, pulling her to face him. Her eyes widened, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

"G…Gray…" she began.

"I said all that, so why are you still afraid to look at me?" asked Gray, his eyes narrowing.

Juvia could feel her heart beating in her chest. She could practically hear it in her ears, all the heat rushing to her face. Steam misted at the tips of Gray's ice cold fingers. She stared at him for a moment, then slowly pushed herself upwards from her seat, tilting her head up. He lowered his face, coming closer to her.

"Uwah! Lucy! Gray and Juvia are about to kiss!" shouted a certain blue cat from just over their heads.

Gray's eyes blazed.

He quickly released her, an angry scowl forming on his face. "_Happy_!" he shouted, whipping around. A bolt of ice formed from his hand, slamming the blue cat down the corridor.

"WAAH!" shouted Happy, his eyes spiraling as he spun out of control and slammed against the train wall.

"What an idiot," commented Charle, leaning out of the compartment door as she watched Happy fly past.

Lucy sighed. "Gray and Juvia, Jellal and Erza, and I'm all alone with…"

"Ugh…I'm gonna die…." moaned Natsu, falling over and leaning against her. Lucy twitched, clenching her fist.

"Get off me!" she said, knocking him to the floor.

From across the compartment, Wendy giggled.

XxXxX

The train continued to lumber on towards Era. Wendy looked up from her seat, smiling slightly at the scene in front of her. Natsu was slumped on Lucy's shoulder, still affected by his motion sickness. He looked as if he was asleep, but he groaned on occasion. Lucy was lying back against the seat, fast asleep. Occasionally, she mumbled a few things in her sleep, poking lightly at Natsu and telling him to stop it…whatever 'it' was. Beside her, Happy and Charle knocked back to back, asleep as well. She kept quiet, knowing that if either of the girls woke up, there would be screaming and shouting when they realized their position.

_It must be nice…_she thought with a small smile as she tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Wendy."

She blinked, looking up and turning towards the doorway. Jellal stood there, watching her. He glanced at Lucy and Natsu, then at Happy and Charle. "Can I come in?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

She nodded. "Do you need something, Jellal-san?" she asked. Now that she knew it wasn't the same Jellal, she didn't feel comfortable referring to him so familiarly.

He shook his head, stepping inside the compartment. "…I just wanted to know if you were feeling up to this," he said. "The archives are underground. Your abilities will be limited."

She laced her fingers together. "I'm fine with it," she said, smiling at him.

He frowned at her. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Mm," she said, nodding. "I'll be fine. It's not like Natsu-nii does all his jobs in places that are on fire. So…I shouldn't be acting spoiled just because my element is so easy to get." She smiled up at him brightly. "If I eat a lot before we go in, I should be okay, right?"

He stared at her for a second. Then, he took a step forward and smiled, patting her on the head. "I understand," he said. "Stay close to me."

She nodded, watching as Jellal turned and walked out the door and back into the train.

XxXxX

The city of Era loomed in the background, the imposing silhouette of the Magic Council's building casting a shadow on them as they prepared to enter the Archives. The sky was orange, the sun just beginning to set. Jellal stared at the building for a few moments, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, before he turned away from it, watching Erza as her fingers trailed scarlet light through the invisible barrier that sealed off the archives, retracing the magic circle they had been given that would open the way. She finished with a flourish, her palm landing on the center of the magic circle. The circle flared, light shimmering around it for a moment before it sank back into the mouth of the cave. The scarlet-haired mage stepped forward and thrust her hand through the entrance, watching as it met with no resistance.

"It's open," she said, turning around and nodding at them.

Jellal nodded. A map of the Archives had been uploaded to each of them, using none other than Archive magic. The curator had been able to give them that much, but not the artifact's exact location. He hadn't placed the artifact in the Archives himself, and had no idea where it was. Getting that information would set them back, and they didn't have time to waste. If they lost this, they could lose the thief.

There was only one thing to do, then. The group stood in a loose circle, watching each other carefully. There were three paths that led from the entrance to the Archives, one going straight ahead, another branching off sharply to the left, and a third going to the right. They would have to split up.

Erza thrust her hand out, palm down, at the center of the circle. Natsu moved, placing his hand on top of hers. Jellal followed suit, putting his hand on top of theirs. Gray was next, followed by Lucy, Juvia, and finally Wendy. Happy and Charle hovered above them, a single blue paw and a single white paw landing on top of the stack of hands.

"Whoever finds the thief will have the responsibility of stopping him," said Erza. "If you don't find him, remain where you are. At dawn, return to the entrance."

Determination flashed on Natsu's face, and Lucy nodded once.

"Do not hesitate. Don't give him a chance to get away. Remember what we know about him…and try not to cause too much damage in the meantime."

Jellal winced, trying not to think of the consequences of Natsu obliterating everything in the Archives. He really did not want to see the inside of a prison cell ever again. But he nodded anyway, and Wendy nodded beside him.

"If you're overwhelmed, know that we will fight for you. No matter what happens, get out alive."

Gray and Juvia nodded. He saw Gray's fingers curl around the lacrima that Jellal had given him, one infused with light, that would allow the two of them to counter the thief's shadow.

"We will complete this job. We will win," said Erza. "Because we are Fairy Tail."

Everyone nodded, letting out a small shout as they pulled their hands away. Jellal simply stood there, drawing his hand back and staring at it. Erza turned towards him.

"Even you, Jellal," she said.

He nodded once at her.

"Let's go," commanded Erza.

They turned, running down the steps and into the Archives as the barrier formed again behind them. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they split up. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy ran straight ahead, into the darkness of the tunnel. Gray and Juvia took a sharp right, and Jellal, Erza, and Wendy turned left.

The darkness swallowed them up, the lights on the stairway going out behind them.

From inside the darkness, a man watched, and smirked.

**Preview:**

Natsu: I kind of feel like I was doing something weird on the train.

Happy: Just the usual.

Natsu: Really? Because I feel like something weird was going on, and it had to do with Lucy.

Happy: I'm pretty sure that everything was normal.

Natsu: …Then why do I have blond hair on my shoulder, and why are you so happy?

Happy: Because I am a cat!

Natsu: Ah, sou ka? I guess.

Happy: *turns away* Hee hee…Charle…

**Next time, on Unconditional—"Chapter 7: The One Who Walks In Shadow"! **


	8. The One Who Walks In Shadow

**Unconditional**

**By: **

**Mystwalker**

**A/N: **We're winding this down now. There's about two more chapters left in this arc, and then we get back to the lighthearted Fairy Tail craziness. Next chapter will be a **HUGE **Jerza moment, just letting you know ahead of time.

**SPECIAL RESPONSES: **

**XienRue - **Well, he _did _lose to Natsu in the canon, so maybe he should take the test. At the very least, it looks like a formality for Fairy Tail, since nobody joins as an S-ranked mage.

**chaoticsouljam – **Glad you liked it, even the Gray/Juvia scene!

**Ashcroft II – **Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it! (Yes, I did have Can-Can in mind when I wrote that one scene, lol). Which Final Fantasy stories of mine have you read? Another Side? I'm planning to update that, hopefully sometime this weekend. (Writing for FFVII can be a little tiring because I have to attempt to keep a semi-serious tone throughout the whole thing, unlike Fairy Tail where I can just go completely nuts if I get bored.)

**Disclaimer: **I do not and will never own Fairy Tail.

XxXxX

**CHAPTER 7: THE ONE WHO WALKS IN SHADOW**

He waited until they were gone, then stepped out of the shadow, turning his head to look disdainfully up at the long flight of stairs that led to the exit. He extended his arm, flexing his fingers. Darkness still clung to his fingertips, twisting around. The barrier into the Archives had been much more difficult to bypass than the museum, and he was still aching slightly from his fight with the young Dragon Slayer. She had a little bite to her, he thought with a small grin, exposing his teeth, but she was young. It was the other two whose powers he wanted to sample, but those would have to wait.

"Are you listening to me?" he spoke into the small ball of darkness that hovered in front of him. "I know you can hear me."

There was a pause, and then a woman's voice answered. "We can hear you, Kavari. Do you have them?"

He smirked, folding his arms as he glanced down the path. "Yeah," he said. "I've got them."

"Good," said the woman. "Proceed as planned, then."

"Just so you know," said Kavari, "This is the last thing I'm doing for you. Once I get this piece, my contract's done, and I'm out. You're on your own."

"Understood," she said. "We'll send your payment to the usual place. As long as you deliver, of course."

"Oh, I'll deliver," said Kavari, grinning. He could feel the little seed he had planted earlier beginning to take root. The little Sky Dragon Slayer wasn't the only one that could affect the human body. "Titania, Jellal Fernandes, and the Sky Maiden are mine. I'll leave the rest of the trash to you."

"We'll handle it," said the woman. "Promptly."

The sphere of darkness vanished, leaving Kavari alone.

XxXxX

The corridor was lit by several small balls of lacrima that flared into light as they approached and blinked out behind them. The effect gave her the feeling of running through nothing, so that she wasn't entirely sure how far they had traveled down the tunnel. Occasionally, she caught glimpses of things stored in alcoves and tucked away in the walls, but they barely stopped to make sure that that wasn't what they were looking for, and Natsu was always one step ahead of her.

She gulped down a breath of air and took off after him. Even after three years, she couldn't keep up with Natsu physically. It was enough that she didn't fall behind. Her eyes narrowed and she watched the pink-haired Dragon Slayer in front of her, one hand around one of her golden keys. Happy flew beside her, concentrating.

"That's far enough," said a feminine voice, a slight hint of mockery laced in her tone. Lucy skidded to a stop, Happy pulling up in the air beside her. In front of her, Natsu straightened up.

She had black hair, tied up in a loose bun, and she was dressed in a light green gown. Her eyes were a deep brown, and for some reason, she had wound ribbons of cloth the same color as her gown around her arms. She stepped forward, frowning at them.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to interfere," she said. "I'd appreciate it if you turned back now."

"Oh, really?" asked Natsu. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"A princess," replied the woman in a flat tone, watching them with disinterest.

Lucy's mouth fell open at the obvious lie, staring at the woman for a few moments. Natsu fell silent as well, watching her. Seriously? Who would believe something like that?

"Really?" asked Natsu excitedly running forward. "As in the kid of a king? That's so cool!"

Lucy sighed, covering her face with her hand. "Shouldn't have asked…" she muttered to herself. The woman's eyes widened and she stepped back, swatting Natsu away with one gloved hand.

"No, not really, that was a joke!" she said. "What are you, some kind of idiot?"

Natsu landed on the ground, his eyes swirling. Lucy sighed, poking him with her foot as Happy flew downwards to touch him with his paw.

"And he's down!" said the blue cat, raising his hand.

"I'm an _actress_," said the woman. "In my spare time, anyway. Perhaps you've heard of Maria Sylknight?"

This time, it was Lucy's turn to clasp her hands together, her eyes shining. "The one from _Moonlight Magic_?" she asked.

Maria smirked. "The very same," she said.

"No way!" squealed Lucy, "I loved that movie! Can I have your autograph?"

"And that's two down," said Happy, sighing as Maria signed a scrap of paper for Lucy.

"Anyway," she said, once Lucy had returned to standing behind Natsu with the piece of paper clutched to her chest. "Get out."

Lucy frowned, her eyes becoming serious again as she put the autographed piece of paper away. Natsu stood up, casually wiping the dirt off the side of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"And if we don't?" asked Lucy.

Maria took a step back. "Then I'll have to fight you," she said.

"Heh," said Natsu, spreading his legs slightly. He grinned at her, baring his fangs. "Sounds like fun." Flames flared up, curling around his hands. Maria frowned at him, raising one hand.

"Don't underestimate me," she said.

At once, the cloth wrapped around her arms moved, unwinding and narrowing into a point as it shot at Natsu. Natsu jumped to the side, the cloth striking the ground below where he had just been standing and forming a crack in the stone. The Dragon Slayer spun around, kicking at the cloth with one flaming foot. He struck it, but the cloth didn't burn, instead turning and wrapping around his leg. Maria jerked her hand in a sharp motion to the side, throwing Natsu's body against the wall headfirst. He hit it with a thud, cracking the stone slightly.

Lucy took a step back, her fingers curling inward slightly as she tightened her grip on the key in her hand. "Cloth Magic…" she said.

"Well, you didn't think my flawless wardrobe came about by accident, did you?" asked Maria with a smirk, her fingers brushing the underside of her chin.

"Ha…not bad," said Natsu as the dust cleared, stepping out of the small pile of stones and rubbing at his head. He grinned, and the flames around him intensified, creeping up his arms and legs and spinning in spirals around him. From where she stood, Lucy could feel the heat. "Guess I better get serious."

"I suppose I should follow suit as well," said Maria. She extended her hands, two magic circles forming on either side of her. "What's a cast without a few supporting characters, after all? _Summon Support: Cloth Doubles!_" The ribbons of cloth unwound themselves from her arms completely, hovering in the air for a moment before forming into two mummy-like entities. The spell complete, the two doubles ran forward, rushing towards Natsu.

He barely spared them a glance, propelling himself into the air with two bursts of fire from his legs. "Lucy!" he said, before spinning around and aiming a kick at Maria. The actress raised her arms over her face to block the kick, the fabric of her long gloves fanning out and forming a round shield in front of her.

"Alright!" said Lucy, nodding at Natsu as the two doubles approached her. She straightened up, slashing the gold key in front of her. "Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!"

The two doubles raised their hands to punch at her at the same time. A flash of light appeared in front of her suddenly, and the two punches crashed against one black-suited arm, the light behind it throwing them off. The light dimmed away, revealing Loke standing in front of her, between her and the doubles. His eyes narrowed.

"Are these two what you want me to fight, Lucy?" he asked.

"Please," said Lucy, nodding. "And help Natsu as well!"

"Understood," said Loke, nodding. Circles of light formed around his hands as the ring on his finger began to glow. He sprang forward, punching at one of the doubles. As it attempted to block his punch, the second double moved around him, pulling its hand back. He turned his head to look at it, the punch moving closer towards him.

A whip coiled around the second cloth double, dragging it to the ground. Lucy tugged on her whip, meeting Loke's eyes for a moment. He nodded at her in thanks, then continued to fight the doubles. The three of them exchanged blows, Loke easily dodging and blocking their movements. Lucy pulled her whip back and watched him, her eyes drifting back and forth as she tracked the movements of the lion spirit.

"_Karyuu no Tekken!" _shouted Natsu from across the room, slamming his flaming fist into the cloth manipulator. At the same time, Maria raised her hands towards him, the cloth of her gloves shooting out and forming into blades as they slashed at him. His attack hit her full on, sending her flying back with a shout of pain. At the same time, her cloth blades slashed at him, grazing his sides and cutting through his vest and skin. He rushed at her, undeterred, and pulled back his fist again as she fell. Maria smirked at him suddenly, angling herself so that her head was below him. She grabbed onto his scarf and tugged.

Natsu looked down, meeting her eyes for just a moment before the scarf around his neck tightened, cutting off his breathing. She moved her hand and the scarf twisted around, throwing Natsu down onto the ground.

She landed on the ground after him, breathing hard as she crouched down and clutched at her chest. Her eyes flicked over towards where Loke was battling the doubles. "A Stellar Spirit Mage?" she asked with a grin as Lucy met her eyes. "There's an easy way to deal with someone like you."

She straightened up, raising her hand. "To defeat the spirit, take out the owner!" she said. The two cloth doubles suddenly dissolved back into ribbons, bladed tips forming at the edge of the ribbons and rushing at Lucy from all sides. Loke's eyes widened and he turned towards her. Natsu lifted his head.

Lucy's eyes widened as she saw the seven bladed ribbons rushing towards her. She threw her arms up in front of her face in a vain attempt to protect herself.

"NATSU!" she shouted, before she even realized what she was saying. Arms suddenly snatched her up, moving her out of the way. Lucy opened her eyes, seeing the familiar black fabric of Loke's suit around her.

The world in front of her burst into flames.

A wall of fire formed in front of her, from the floor to the ceiling. Natsu stood in the center of it, breathing heavily. Her eyes widened as Loke set her down, her heart beating quickly in her chest. Loke frowned down at her.

"You called for Natsu…" he said, sounding almost hurt.

She…she did.

Her eyes widened as she realized this, looking up at the pink-haired Dragon Slayer that was standing between her and the cloth mage. The flames curled around him, surrounding him. It was just like that time. The time he had gotten between her and Gajeel. The time she had jumped off a tower knowing that he would be there and that he would catch her.

Natsu…

Why did she call for him?

The wall of flames faded away, revealing a few new cuts on Natsu's body from the cloth blades. He ignored them, the flames from the wall returning to his hands. His fist clenched, and he took a deep breath. He was angry, Lucy realized, just as he had been when he saved her from Gajeel.

"_Karyuu no…" _he began, bringing both his hands together. _"…KOUEN!" _

He jumped into the air, a huge fireball forming over the palms of his hands. He threw the ball of fire at her, the flames roaring and bathing the surrounding area in crimson light. Maria cursed, and Lucy saw her call up the cloth to protect herself before the light from the flames became too bright and she couldn't see anything at all.

The roaring flames died down in a rush, leaving the chamber empty again. Natsu stood there breathing heavily, his hand still outstretched in front of her. Lucy looked up at him from the ground, eyes wide. The heat was still coming off him in waves, even though there were no more visible flames as he stared across the room at the woman who was slumped against the wall, a weak magic circle shimmering in the air in front of her. The circle wavered, then broke.

"I see…" said Maria with a small smirk, taking a deep breath. She reached up and grabbed a stone that jutted out from the rock wall above her, using it to pull herself up. "So that's the power of the Salamander…"

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "You're finished," he said. "Don't even think about trying anything."

Her smirk widened and she looked up. "But why bother with me when you have much bigger issues?" she asked.

"Like what?" asked Loke, pulling her back towards him protectively.

"I was only the first act," she said. "The plot only thickens from here. I wonder if Titania Erza is really as good as they say."

Lucy's eyes widened.

"Erza!" she said.

"Tch, you're not scaring me!" said Natsu. "Erza's strong enough to handle ten of you!"

"Oh, I know," said Maria with a grin, leaning her head back. "That's what I'm counting on." The darkness around her seemed to twist for an instant, blurring her vision. Natsu raised his head and sniffed, scowling.

"Something stinks," she heard him say.

"Lucy," muttered Loke, lowering his head so that it was closer to her ear. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"It's time for her to take the stage, our leading lady, the lovely **ERZA SCARLET!" **she shouted.

A blast of cold air flooded the tunnels, the temperature around them dropping several degrees as the lights went out.

XxXxX

Jellal felt the change before he saw it. The magic whispered against his skin, sending a shiver of power down his spine and giving him goose bumps. The sphere of light that hovered in the air in front of them shimmered for a moment, as if it was uncertain. They were walking down their respective pathway, Erza in the lead with Wendy beside her, and himself walking a few paces behind them. Charle flew just over his left shoulder.

"Wendy! Watch out!"

In a flash, Erza's hand moved, a sword appearing in it. Jellal moved before he could think, reaching forward and grabbing Wendy by the back of her dress. He yanked her backwards roughly, pulling her out of the way of Erza's downward slash. Wendy let out a yelp of surprise, the sword passing an inch from her front.

Erza stared straight ahead of her with the sword in her hand, her eyes shadowed by her scarlet hair. Jellal's hand shook, his grip on the young teenager's dress tightening. The knight slashed at him, and he jumped back, pushing Wendy aside and barely avoiding the blow. Wendy's eyes widened. "Erza-san…?" she asked.

"Erza!" called Jellal, sharply.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Charle.

Darkness clung to Erza like a shroud, surrounding her. As Erza turned to face them fully, Jellal saw it, a glowing red mark on the left side of her abdomen. It pulsed with power, the darkness seeping from it.

When Erza looked up, her eyes were a dull brown, unfeeling.

XxXxX

Gray stopped suddenly, thrusting an arm out in front of Juvia to stop her as well. She stopped, looking up at him.

"Gray?" she asked, frowning.

He didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the path in front of him.

"Perceptive, aren't you?" asked Kavari, stepping out of the darkness. "I thought only the Dragon Slayers would notice me."

Gray smirked slightly. "It wasn't too hard to notice," he said. "One of the exhibit's shadows was pointing in the wrong direction."

"Impressive," said Kavari, nodding. "It's a shame I have to stop you here."

The darkness encircled him, as white mist began to surround Gray.

**Preview:**

Happy: Natsu! Something's seriously wrong with Erza!

Natsu: Eh? Why?

Happy: She attacked Jellal!

Natsu: That's normal!

Happy: She also attacked Wendy-chan!

Natsu: ...You're right! That _is _weird!

Happy: Quick! We have to go save Charle!

Natsu: …You mean Wendy, right?

Happy: CHARLE! *already gone*

**Next time, on Unconditional—"Chapter 8: My Words Will Reach You"! **

"_Can you hear me?"_

XxXxX

**Notes: **

[1] _Karyuu no Tekken – _Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon (canon)

[2] _Karyuu no Kouen – _Brilliant Flame of the Fire Dragon (canon)


End file.
